Open Sky Yet Not
by waterlily12
Summary: When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's. Family-orientated
1. Shattered Sky

**So... I decided to copy the story I've been working on wattpad (don't ask, it just happened kay?) on here while also fixing some grammatical mistakes that I miss along the way. You can say this is like a... final draft or something? I don't know.**

 **I don't think this violates any kind of plagiarism since I'm still the same author who wrote it. (And I'm literally giving myself permission to publish it here lol.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

"Miracles were just second chances if you really thought about it - second chances when all hope was lost." ― Kaya McLaren

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

He felt himself drowning, but he didn't discern anything relatively similar to water. Everywhere around him was enshrouded with darkness as if he was blind. (Last time he checked, though, he wasn't.)

He couldn't move his body, only the sensation of slow descent gave any indication that he was feeling anything at all. Even so, he didn't panic. Something about this descent into the strange abyss didn't warrant a threat.

It was a safe place, he concluded, but he couldn't help but wonder where he was.

And just as the question crossed his mind, he was suddenly righted onto his feet, the tip of his shoes sending out a ripple as if he was landing on water.'s surface.

Seconds after the resonating ripple came a splash of blue. The entire space that was once an abyss colored into an endless sky under, above, and all around - along with the few slowly drifting clouds

It was a familiar place, he remembered, one where the horizon stretch to no end and where the law of physics has no effect. This place gave a calming effect, one that soothes the heart no matter what kind of experiences a person went through.

And it soothed his moribund heart just fine.

Instead of asking the typical 'where am I?' he looked around, as if expecting to see something - or _someone_.

Then, as if on cue, a flame of sky orange burst into life right in front of him, embracing him in a warmth that he should no longer feel.

"Decimo."

That single address was enough to break the dam, letting recent memories to flood back into his head.

It were definitely not ones that he want to be reminded of.

 ** _Everywhere he saw, fire burning any and all things it touched to the ground, the earth upturned, and the once beautiful city turned into a bloodstain war zone._**

 ** _Broken_ _weapons - shattered beyond recognition - scattered the ground like the unwanted debris they were now, rivers of blood -_** _redredredblood_ **\- flow almost too tranquilly from once warm bodies.**

 ** _... bodies of_** _his_ **_family. They're all cold now -_** _ **No** , nonono_ _._ ** _They're -_** _deaddeadDEAD_ ** _\- s_ _leeping._**

 ** _He was the only one left._**

... W **_h_ y .**

 **Why was he t _h e_ _o_ N **_l_ **y** O n ** _E l_** e F **t ?**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **... w** H **_y?_ **!

"... I couldn't protect them."

Giotto watched his dear descendant, one that he viewed more like his own son than anything else, crumbled to the floor, clutching his head in despair.

"It's all my fault - I-I couldn't... _I couldn't do anything...!_ "

"Tsuna."

The brunet finally looked up, but his eyes spoke of how he had already been shattered into thousands of pieces. "T-They... they all _died,_ Primo!"

"Hayato, Takeshi, Oniisan, Lambo, Mukuro, Kyouya, Chrome... gone. They're all _gone_." Tsuna looked at his trembling hands. "All because I wasn't strong enough..."

"... You did your best."

"My 'best', wasn't enough!" Tsuna retorted back in angry tears. "It was _never_ enough!"

Giotto could only closed his eyes. If he had been in his descendant's position, he would've broken down as well. The bond between a Sky and his Elements were one of the strongest there was. He had watched each and every one of _his_ own guardians being taken down by assassins when they thought they had settled in Japan. Those were the darkest days of his entire life, but Fate gave mercy and he didn't seen _how_ they died. (Though the wounds on the bodies were more than enough to give him a few guesses.)

However, Fate had another thing planned for Tsuna. The Vongola Decimo had _seen_ , with his own eyes, the death of his family _right in front of him_ and he wasn't able to save _any one of them._

That was a blow too big to recover from.

... War was just messed up that way.

"Dad..." Tsuna croaked in that broken tone of his.

The fact that he had address Giotto as such instead of 'Primo' or 'Grandfather', gave way to just how down right _hopeless_ the young man felt. Tsuna would rarely use that address - he has his dignity to keep after all, unless, of course, he wanted to seek comfort from the parent who was never there for half his life. To have someone tell him that everything was going to be okay, that things would work out. He had only ever acknowledged Reborn, and later on, Giotto, as the father-figures in his life.

"W-what... what will h-happen now...?"

Giotto, in that moment, saw the child crying within the man, begging someone - _anyone -_ to make everything okay again.

He sighed and knelt down himself so that he could give a comforting hug to the brunet. "There, there, child. The dead cannot be brought back, I'm afraid."

"... But, " The blonde break away and place his hands on Tsuna's shoulders. "I can give you something else. A miracle if you will, but whether you will accept it or not will be entirely up to you."

.

.

.

His bloodline's once devastated eyes relit with a certain determination that the founder saw long ago when he was but a child. Sunset-orange eyes locked gaze with a similar amber after the agreement, before the former was whisked away from the astral terrain with but the words of resolution that echoed even after he had disappeared.

 _"I will protect them all this time."_

Giotto sighed, heavy with emotion as he stared up at the endless blue with but a few white clouds.

"This is as much as I can do." Flames of blue, red, green, violet, indigo, and yellow started to emerge and positioned themselves in a circle around Giotto as he close his eyes. "The rest of your prayer can only be completed by you."

Giotto sensed the gratitude the flames were sending him, but he shook his head, and spoke a deep alto as gentle as the sailing breeze, yet silence in essence.

"Safe journey."

.

.

.

 _The hour that has been carved must remain,_

 _But another chance the clam shall gain._

 _The vertical-time axis that exist no more,_

 _Yet in another it shall bore._

 _It is a race against time,_

 _Can the clam... restore its kind?_

* * *

 **Horrible poetry lol.**

 **I'm writing this as I go and I always do love these parallel-travel fanfics along with those time-travel fics where it's Parent!FirstGen/Child!TenthGen (Say what you want but in my opinion, they're perfect parent-child pairs! And I actually do have story about this but uh... I haven't gotten too far yet so it's a work in progress.)**


	2. Waking Up

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 _Tick-tock, tick-tock_.

The rhythmic ticking of the clock that hung on the dull white wall went undisturbed. There was a sense of loneliness to it, as if it was missing a companion that could match its tune.

 _...ep ..._

When it hands struck twelve -

 _...ep ... be  
_

\- another rhythm joined.

 _... eep... beep... beep._

Slowly, but resiliently, trying to match its pace with the second hand. There was a certain ring to the clock when the beeping was coming back strong, bring a sense of joy to the timepiece because its companion has returned.

In the dreadfully dreary room that has only have occasional visitors of nurses and doctors, a glimmer of flame flickered into life, but it was even faster in the act of disappearing; however, it was brighter than any fire existed if someone were to catch a sight of it.

Long, slow breaths filled lungs that were once empty -

 _Wheeze, cough!_

\- A strain cough escaped cracking lips and he felt pain in his lungs. The internal organs may be functioning again, but they were beyond able to support another breath if nothing was done.

Actions must be done, and quick.

Invisible licks of flames suddenly seeped into the body and soothe the pain the body was feeling. Harmony of the Sky, barely reined in control, managed to supported the poorly developed system.

Slowly, but surely, the breathing became stable, the heart was beating stronger than it has been since he was born.

Trembling hands reached up to his face, feeling the bandages over his own eyes that once had been lost.

With a clench and a pull, the gauze was ripped down.

Eyelids slowly pulled themselves up, revealing dull sunset-orange eyes coming into focus. In another a second, a spark of life lit within those orbs, one that was a great contrast to the previous brown long ago.

.

.

.

.

On the night of October 13, he who should have been recorded as deceased at 11:58pm, breathed a different tune at the struck of midnight on October 14.

* * *

Karma, he thought wryly as he gazed out the window and into the night sky filled with boundless stars in his new, but weakened body.

It really was bad karma for him to continue living, but _he just couldn't let it go until he made things right._

After he had accept his ancestor's - _no, more of a second father really_ \- offer, his soul has been integrated into the recently deceased Sawada Tsunayoshi of this parallel world.

He clutched the bandages that he removed from his face.

He couldn't help the overwhelming guilt threatening to torn him apart as memories that didn't belong to him surfaced. _I'm replacing the Tsunayoshi of this world. The older twin brother of Sawada Ienari... Primo told me that he is training to become Vongola Decimo in this world..._

Guilt, happiness, relieve, grievance, all conflicting emotions bubbled inside his throat when he thought of those who were once his guardians now standing by the sides of an unfamiliar short-haired blonde with chestnut brown eyes.

 _(They won't recognize you anyway_ , the little evil voice in his head taunted.)

 _At least it's not me._ He reasoned, clutching his head as he curls into a fetal position. _They'll live this time. I'll make sure they will._

He loosen over his thoughts and felt something under his hospital gown. He pulled out a chain with a golden pocket watch - the one that Primo returned to him.

(He remembered taking a page out of Giotto's book and passed on the same sentiment to his guardians. He wasn't sure how Giotto retrieved it though...)

He clicked it open and saw the hands stuck forever a twelve. _Time will stay frozen huh..._

.

.

.

 **"A... parallel world...?" Tsuna slowly repeated.**

 **"... Yes." Giotto confirmed. His eyes closed momentarily. "Your soul will be transferred into the body of your parallel self."**

 **Tsuna frowned. "But what of the other me?"**

 **"He is..." The Vongola Primo took a paused before opening his eyes to show glassy sunset orange. "... dying."**

 **"I... I see..." Tsuna didn't know what else to say about that. Should he pity his other self? Sad? Sorry? Tsuna didn't have the right to do any of those when he didn't know his other self, but it still sadden him to hear the news of another death coming soon.**

 **"Tsuna."**

 **The brunet's head jerked up at the gentle tone and his gaze was met with a golden pocket watch, with the engravings of 'Vongola Famiglia' on the cover, swinging like a pendulum in front of him.**

 **"What...?"**

 **"Your hour has already been engraved the moment you left your world. The hands will stay frozen during your time in the parallel world, to keep your soul in place until something is changed." He took Tsuna's hand and place the watch on the open palm.**

 **"I will warn you right now, a miracle doesn't last forever."**

 **Tsuna blinked as he slowly examined the scratches on the watch sustained through the test of time, yet it was still in good condition. He clicked it open, the sight of a Sky flame similar to his entered his vision.**

 **"Isn't this..."**

 **"... Keep it on you at all times." Giotto chuckled softly. "I can't leave my dear son alone at times like this, can I?"**

 **"And I cannot be there physically... so the watch will take my place." Vongola Decimo blinked owlishly as the other ruffled the his head like a father would.**

 **"This is all I can do. What your choice may be in that world will affect your existence as a whole."**

 **Giotto then cracked a lopsided grin, one that can diffuse any kind of tension in the air and bring everyone together in both heart and mind; the solemnity behind his eyes was replaced with twinkling mirth. "So... ready to meet your brother?"**

 **"... Ehhhhhh?!"**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _My choice huh..._ He looked intently at the watch and close his eyes after a minute. _Until... something is changed..._

He heaved a sigh in the stretched silence and put the item back under his gown, and looked out the window again. His sunset orange eyes betraying the broken doll within him for his experience... and for the challenges to come.

 _I'm going to have to see them again._ He thought once more with half-lidded eyes.

 _Am I allowed to? They won't - they won't even remem... no. They're not the same people._

 _It should be alright._

 _... Right? It can't be that hard to do. Just... just treat them... like- like strangers... **Strangers with achingly familiar faces.**_

Tsuna stayed awake the whole night, his own thoughts haunting him until the click of the door brought him back to reality.

By that time, it was already morning.

* * *

Ando Kori expected the usual routine. Wake up, go to work, go home, sleep, and repeat (with all the daily necessities of course). Mind you, she loved being a nurse. She got to know her patients and even make friends. Some of her charges were more... unresponsive - she refused to think they're in a coma - yet \it just made her care all the more.

She was used to that routine.

So when it was time to check up on one of the few unresponsive patients she was assigned to in Namimori General Hospital, she was prepared to talk with thin air.

"Good morning Sa... wa... da... kun...?" The chirpy nurse trailed off.

She blinked. And blinked again. Then, just to be extra sure, she rubbed her eyes and blinked once more to see if her imagination was playing with her.

Nope. She was definitely seeing a sixteen-year old boy with gravity-defying brown hair sitting up and looking out the window with a listless gaze.

It was a strange sight, really. The way the boy held himself straight exudes undeniable strength and confidence. He didn't look as fragile as he should have been - wasn't he fighting with his deteriorating health this whole time?

... and wasn't his sight taken from him in the accident that put him in his vegetated state?

As if registering her presence, the supposed-unresponsive boy craned his neck towards her. If those sunset-orange eyes ( _Is that really the color of his eyes...?_ ) didn't show clear confusion, silently asking who she was, then she didn't know what was.

There was also that hint of wistful sadness in them - of what, she did not know - and a level of wisdom that shouldn't even belong to such a young boy who hasn't stepped out of this building for -

She shook her head when she realized that she has been dazed for too long.

A surge of happiness immediately overcame her after seeing the lifeless boy that she has been looking after finally waking up. She never liked seeing people sleeping like they're on the brink of death-but-not-quite.

It was like seeing them fighting endlessly to survive. And almost eternal war against the grasp of Death.

"Hello there!" Putting on the brightest smile filled with pleasant surprise, she quickly approached the teen and pulled him into a big hug. She could feel him tense up in her arms so she quickly released him to avoid giving him unnecessary shock. That wouldn't do them any good.

"I'm surprised to see you awake, but it's a happy occasion that you finally opened your eyes!"

The boy blinked once, then slowly nodded as if he could barely comprehended her words. There was still confusion swimming in his eyes, she noted, and she had this feeling that he was silently asking about his situation.

"This is so wonderful!" Kori smiled yet again, hoping that would ease the tension in the boy's shoulder - was it because she was a stranger? "I'll call up Doctor Akio for you. He'll need to examine you but he can answer any questions you may have, is that okay?"

It took him another while, but he answered with another nod. She found it a bit strange that he hasn't spoken a word, but she filed it away as the teen being lost beyond words.

After all, he has been in a coma for seven years before finally waking up.

* * *

 **I know that sounds... unrealistic and most people don't have that long of a patience before "pulling the plug"... but there has been patients who had slept for longer. (I searched online haha...) And this is anime (and KHR), anything is possible!**


	3. Home Yet Not

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 ** _Clack, clatter!_**

 **The phone slipped from her hands when the news came.**

 **"Hello? Sawada-san? Are you there?"**

 **Nana snapped out of her stupor when the the speaker on the other line was trying to reach her. She stumbled and picked up the phone shakily.**

 **"Y-yes... I- I -" Her words chocked, a hand covering her mouth just as a whimper escape. Her legs lost their strength, causing her knees to buckle and fall. "R-really? Y-you're not... is he - really?"**

 **"I only deliver news when it needs to be." The other spoke softly, chuckling a bit in the end.**

 **"Congratulations Sawada-san, you son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, has finally returned."**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

When Sawada Nana heard the unbelievable news, she had literally dropped everything that she was doing. She made a snatch for her purse, told Bianchi to watch the kids, and rushed out of her two-story house without an explanation whatsoever.

She was restless in the taxi - she was normally a very patient person, just not today - because in the span of ten minutes, she had asked the driver what was the most annoying question known to all travelers thirty plus times.

"Are we there yet?" That makes another one.

The driver gritted his teeth, he very nearly lost his temper when the destination came into view.

"YES!" He exclaimed in both irritation and relief.

Before he could even stop completely though, the woman was already out of the taxi... but not before giving the driver the fare and a generous amount of tip that made him forget about his previous anger and idly thought that it was worth the trouble.

Nana didn't even bother with informing the receptionist that she was visiting, nor did she heed to several warnings from the passing nurses to slow down and watch her step. Her mind was solely focus on that one door that she has been coming in and out of several times a year for seven whole years.

She didn't even bother with the elevator, and took to the stairs instead. (She needed to get rid of the extra adrenaline somehow.) Only when she reached the fifth floor and standing in front of Room 507 did she abruptly stop.

Her shaking hand paused briefly over the handle as a voice floated out from the hospital room.

"... sure that there's nothing wrong, young man?"

Her heart became more erratic as she waited for a response. A familiar, timid voice that would rekindle her hope.

However, when she didn't hear a response, she felt dread overtaking her. ( _Why isn't there any response?)_ She couldn't wait another second longer and flung open the door.

The three occupants in the room turned to see a dishevel Nana breathing irregularly as if she had ran a marathon.

Her caramel brown eyes swept past the nurse and the doctor, landing on a pair of... sunset-orange orbs. ( _Why aren't they brown?_ )

... Her son's eyes weren't supposed to be that color... did - did someone replace him?

"T-Tsu... kun?" She asked uncertainly, staring the blank sunset-orange orbs. When the unfamiliar color slowly flicker with warmth and recognition, slowly felt like _her_ Tsu-kun's, she gasped into her hands.

The reflex only last a few seconds but it made tears make their way down Nana's eyes as doubt ebbed away into relief. He was different, but it was still _her_ Tsu-kun.

"Tsu-kun..." Nana just couldn't believe it. She had almost given all hope that her son would wake up after all these years that she was scared to think this was all a dream. "Is that... is that really you?"

Her son stared at her with steady, yet inert eyes in silence.

She was scared when she couldn't find any emotions on his face again, nor in his eyes ( _Sunset-orange so different yet so familiar_ ). It made her heart clenched in pain at the possibility that he couldn't recognize her; but that immediately lifted when he nodded slowly and quirked his lips into a small warm - _just like_ _Tsu-kun's -_ smile.

Her legs turned into jelly at the side of his bed, startling the nurse and doctor when she suddenly collapsed onto her knees.

She didn't pay them any attention as she clutched tightly on her son's fragile hand.

"Tsu-kun..."

He was too skinny, she noted, but his slight returning hold of her hand casted all her worries aside as she burst into tears.

"Y-you're... re-really..."

Her son was awake. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Seven years, the doctor informed him. He had been in a coma for seven. _Frickin' ._ Years.

Wow.

He had been told by Primo but still, hearing it from the doctor... just... wow.

The doctor hadn't expected him to wake up anytime soon either - though that would explain why his body was so... scrawny; but even that was a generous description of what he really appeared like. He could tell from one look that he had been as fragile as glass. One butterfly of a touch, one gentle brush of wind, and his body would shatter - it wasn't too far from the truth.

The doctor told him that it was really a miracle that his health was showing improvement all of a sudden. After all, his health has been slowly (achingly slow as if Death was toying with him) deteriorating until late last night.

(But really, for _seven years._ How did this world's Tsunayoshi hold it up for that long? The deceased was gaining more and more respect from Tsuna as further information flooded into his head.)

It would seem that he has been born with a weak constitution - at least that's what the piece of scattering memory told him. He can sense the strong Sky flames within him in abundance (just like his in the other world), which was probably also a factor that caused his deteriorating health.

Tsunayoshi's fragile body and soul couldn't handle the intensity of the flame. Then came the incident that caused his flames to go into a berserk state, leading to his hospitalization up to the present.

Ironically, as of now, he was only relying on the support of his flames to balance out his weak constitution. If he were to ever cease streaming his flames into his body... then he would be dead in a week, with or without medication.

Wow, he was _really ill_.

Tsuna looked to the spot where his mother has been sitting for the entire day, tending to his every need, leaving only after visiting hours and promising to come back the next day.

His hands balled into a tight fists at the thought of his mother going through this whole nightmare.

 _I'm worse than that father of mine._ He didn't mean to put her through this much stress, nor did the other Tsunayoshi.

(He felt more than he saw, from memories-not-his, the concern and desperation Tsunayoshi felt when he was lucid-yet-not-quite during some of Nana's visits.

He supposed she was the reason for Tsunayoshi's so - _so_ \- long of a tug-a-war with Death. His mother was willing to wait _that long_ when his father had already given up... at least he's still paying for the hospital bills.)

They were quite similar, now that he thought about it. (Just not in physical capabilities - which will soon be rectified of course.)

His hand went to his eye as he looked into the window pane to see his reflection. Sunset-orange eyes return the gaze.

Everyone had been surprised, shocked even, when they saw Tsuna's eyes working as they should - and of a different color. His eyes... at least Tsunayoshi's... were lost in the incident that left him on his deathbed.

The doctor may not understand what kind of phenomenon it was that Tsuna could still see, but Tsuna knew. (Be cause it was beyond anything that could be proven with science.)

Eyes were the window to one's soul, so when Tsuna's soul has been transferred, he could only deduce that his own eyes had merged and replace - in his situation - the ones forever lost. It used to be brown of course, but what with the side-effect of going into Hyper Dying Will mode so often and all... well, he became even more similar to his ancestor.

( _Whoopie-doo_... But seriously, he was more than happy - _proud_ even - to share similar traits with Vongola Primo than with his father-only-in-blood.)

He swung his legs over the bedside - with much, _much_ more energy than he would like to use - and massaged his temples weakly.

It was going to be a long and gruesome readjustment, he thought. He had heard of people who took _years_ to rehabilitate themselves after being bedridden for as long as he did, more or less.

He flexed his fingers again, noting the hesitating movement as if the mind and body were not on the same page. (And it was most likely just that.)

"Great..." He muttered frustratingly, throat hoarse and -

 ** _Cough!_**

 _\- oh god, it hurts to talk!_

He had to think of something. Time was something he didn't want to waste.

 _How does one, who had been immobile for seven years, move like a relatively normal human being in less than a month... ?_

Going over several plans in his head - all were gobsmackingly spartan - he realized (with morbid horror) that he was thinking too much like Reborn.

(Like really, most of his plans, if not all, involved climbing a damn _cliff_ and swim laps in the frickin' _ocean_ among other things.

On a daily basis.

Or die trying.)

Granted, it would push his body beyond the limit and would be most likely torturous at the beginning, but it would give the best result in a short amount of time.

 _The things I do for the family_. He thought wistfully, head resignedly in his palms. _I'm_ so _not looking forward to any of this..._

Well - Tsuna decidedly glared at his hands after making up his mind - he should at least know if he could -

 _Ohmygod, the flames are trying to eat me alive!_

 _Wheeze, cough!_

... At least he call his flames into physical manifestation. (... while upsetting the delicate balance he had over the flames that supported his internal system, but that wasn't the point.)

Albeit he wasn't happy that his hand gained blisters as he willed it (with much, _too much_ , difficulty), nor was he happy about the tsunami-sized wave of exhaustion that wash over him.

He noted, seconds later, that he should be more careful next time - there were no limiters. (Tsunayoshi must've broke it right before he entered his coma.) And he needed a decent amount to support internal his system as it is.

(It was a pain in the neck, he swear.)

... At the very least, the Seal was no longer there. He knew that if the Seal continue to stay within this body, it would be all adjectives of bad.

He could tell his Sky flames were untamed - even when it was once in a sealed state - as it licked over his hand, dancing like wildfire as it sang of freedom (like his had done once before. Though, he found it easier to control them internally, just a tad bit.)

It was definitely a flame that could destroy an opponent - and himself - if he didn't train his body properly to control and contain it.

He sighed in frustration again. A detached part of him wished he hadn't accept the offer and just stay dead instead.

Absentmindedly, he wondered - "How are you guys doing without me?"

Though he didn't know _who_ his question was directed towards.

.

.

.

They were not here.

Tsuna thanked God, Jesus, Kami, Zeus, Anubis, Budda, Kutkh, _any_ benevolent deity up there (that he haven't learned in his past-present life) for letting him delay the inevitable.

Because of all the household members he was going to meet (again), Lambo and Reborn was off... somewhere... with his twin and the rest of the guardians for 'business' - as his mother had kindly told him - for a month or so.

(He had a sneaking suspicion that they were probably at Italy training or something... but it was most definitely mafia related.)

And of the ones that he does have to meet (again)... there was the constant jab at his chest at the polite smile that Fuuta and I-pin would give to strangers that come over to their house. The unfamiliarity in their eyes, the fact that they didn't immediately tackle him whenever he got back home - _stop it. They're not the same people. Don't think, don't feel._

"Tsuna-san?" Fuuta snapped him out of his thoughts with a _polite_ address.

 _Why are you being so civil towards me? Don't you know me, Fuuta? You're my little -_

He took a moment to close his sunset-orange eyes to calm his jumbled emotions - _Breath, Tsuna -_ and reopened them to face the blonde boy, I-pin by his side.

 _Smile. Act. Pretend. **Nothing is wrong.**_

As he followed what his mind to him to do, he nodded at the boy to signal that he was listening.

"Do you want to read with us?" Fuuta held up a book tentatively, the cover over a castle and of a fearless knight.

Tsuna blinked, processing.

He was released from the hospital today, with Doctor Akio telling him it would be better to let him rehabilitate in a natural, homey environment.

(... If they had even the slightest clue as to what was Tsuna was planning to do in secret, they would have strap him down on the bed and never let him leave that hospital room until they deem Tsuna was in his right mind.)

He was currently sitting in the living room - out of his wheelchair - while Nana and Bianchi were in the kitchen making a welcome home dinner. (Well... Nana would be doing most of the cooking, thank god for that.)

And the two approached him - _ah..._

From the curiosity and the slight concern he could decipher from the duo's gaze, he knew he must've been out of it for quite some times.

And so, he smiled at them apologetically and pointed at his throat, then shook his head.

Fuuta brightened in understanding. "It's okay! I can read it out loud!"

"It's okay with I-pin too!"

He offhandedly mused that the little Chinese girl didn't have as broken of a Japanese dialogue as the one he viewed as a little sister at her age. But then again, this is about two years further than since he had first met Reborn.

It was good though. It let him separate them from those whom he treasured in his heart.

It let him hope that the others he will meet would be different in some ways as well.

And most of all... it kept him from breaking.

A soft chuckle escaped his lips - with little to no strain, thank Kami for that - as he nodded at the two kids.

He wasn't sure if it was because they heard his raspy voice or that he nodded that made them cheered in childish happiness (and was that relief?), but it made him feel warm nonetheless.

Warm like home.

For the shortest second, he had thought - _I'm home -_ before it slipped away to give an attentive ear when Fuuta began his story telling of dragons and knights.

(A detached part of him watched, as he took the backseat, as Tsuna move like a broken puppet on newly attached strings.)

* * *

 **Okay, Tsuna's settling in... or trying to at least and well, I guess that's all I have to say haha...**

 **A big thanks to the** **two reviewers that I can't see atm** _,_ _Meopize, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Bubblepop32,_ Sir Butt **for reviewing!**


	4. School Again (1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

For the next two to three weeks (besides the to-be-weekly checkup with Doctor Akio), Tsuna tried to behave naturally in the Sawada household like he'd just came home from a long, long trip - which wasn't too far from the truth - while trying to rebuild his voice and physical strength (with a little help from his flames of course) and also being subjected to Nana's (and sometimes Bianchi's) tutoring.

He already knew everything at his age and far beyond that - _thank god Reborn drilled them into me to the point I wouldn't forget even if I want to_ \- but didn't speak it out because that would raise too much complications when he was supposed to have been in a vegetated state for seven years.

... He was _still_ trying to wrap his head around that one.

* * *

When he had addressed Nana as 'Kaa-san' for the first time, she was actually as ecstatic as when a parent heard their baby uttered his or her first word.

... She was just _that_ happy about his recovery. It made him want make her smile more, as an apology to Tsunayoshi and Nana.

"You look so handsome~!" Nana squealed when Tsuna was at the door to the kitchen, decked out in Namimori High School's uniform.

"Um..." Tsuna adjusted the tie on his shirt when his mother was cooing over him, nervous. "K-Kaa-san... do I - do I _really_ have to...?"

"Nonsense, Tsu-kun!" Nana waved with her hand as she went back to cooking. "I'm positive you'll do well in school! You have been soaking up the things we teach you like a sponge!"

... Tsuna now regretted his act of understanding things at a fast pace. He did not want to go to school, thank you very much. He didn't have the best experience with school and _dreaded_ meeting familiar faces on a daily basis (though they would be absent for just a tad bit longer, thank goodness) and - _oh my god the bullies!_

"Just think of the friends you'll make!"

Tsuna mentally snorted at the comment -

"I'm so excited for you Tsu-kun!"

\- but if that was what made his mother happy, then he'll just have to try to endure the boring lectures and the taunting he'll most likely receive. (He certainly had tried to keep a relatively normal score when he had to take that placement test a week prior.

After all, it would be strange if he knew more than he should at his age... especially in his situation.)

"A-alright..." He strained a smile as he sat himself on a chair and dug into the breakfast Nana made for him.

"Good morning, Mama, Tsuna-nii!"

"早上好!" ("Good morning!")

Tsuna greeted with a smile, "Morning."

"Good morning you two!" Nana greeted. "Where's Bianchi-san?"

As if on cue, said woman waltzed in with a yawn. "G'morning everyone..."

Breakfast was noisier than all the other days he has been in this house, with most of them asking about his feeling towards school - _can they please not bring up this topic?_ \- and giving him encouragements that he didn't find encouraging at all.

This was _school_ they were talking about. Tsuna was _never_ ecstatic about school.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Nana asked worriedly at the front door with the others. "What if you get lost? Do you know the way? Oh! You didn't forget anything did you? Books, pencils, bento -"

"Um..." Tsuna sweatdropped at the sudden mother-henning. "I'll be fine, Kaa-san, don't worry!"

And it took longer than it should for all of them - him, Bianchi, I-pin and Fuuta - to reassure Nana that Tsuna was going to be just fine and he'll have Fuuta and I-pin to accompany him along the way since the duo goes to the local elementary school nearby.

("Bu-but he just got out of the hospital!" was Nana's last contradicting argument before Tsuna had to leave or he'll be late.

If she was so concerned, then why did she send him to school in the first place?)

"Are you excited?" Fuuta asked as they swing their entwined hands. They were now heading to school after calming down an overreacting Nana.

"Eh... Not really." Tsuna tilted his head in thought, then shrugged. "School is just... well, _school_."

Fuuta and I-pin giggled at the emphasized noun.

"Tsuna-nii will be fine!" The Chinese girl encouraged.

"Thank you." He smiled in return.

After dropping the two kids at Namimori Elementary, Tsuna tried to tune in with his surroundings as he walked. He wasn't worry that he would get lost - he had been jogging around town on a daily basis once he could - but he didn't want to bump into unnecessary people.

Like the local yakuzas for example.

He allowed only the amount of flames he could control to wrap around him like an invisible blanket, then willed it to spread.

Flames, he had learned from Verde before, were similar to those theories on the phenomenon of Aura, the life force of all things nature.

Like Aura, flames were born in every living creature - the spark of life if you will. Therefore, by using this bit of knowledge, Tsuna was able to detect the stirring in the air, the movement of the leaves, and of course, people.

It takes one proper training of both the mind and of the body to draw and use the life force he or she was born with, which is why most people don't even know the existence of flames.

Dying Will Flames, as Mafiosi and the likes termed it, was really just flames of life that suddenly churn the body's core when a person desperately want to keep living. That is truly the moment of miracle when flames suddenly brighten with the resolve to live and _flare_.

Fundamentally, the flames in everyone is the flame of life, but each person's flame is different, and they can be judged just by looking at people's personalities and/or their upbringings; though some types, especially Sky flames, are much rarer that others. All things considered, flame users wouldn't dare to use too much because that would be like using up your own life before it could replenish itself.

Tsuna briefly wondered, as the aura of his Sky flames extended like tendrils to his surroundings, if flames were the manifestation of a person's resolve as much as the flames that kept them alive; hence, Dying Will. _Because you can't just casually toss your life force around like a toy_ , that is both naive and dangerous.

(Like he should talk. He had been the victim of that very same flame depletion due to the built up emotional stress of seeing his final guardian going down.)

He stopped his philosophical musing - since when was he a philosopher anyways? - as he arrived at the school he was supposed to attend.

Namimori High.

He drew in a breath as he retracted his flames, sunset-orange eyes looking up at the looming building that would soon house all of his boredom.

At least he'll have some peace of mind at the thought that he wouldn't see _them_ for a week or two.

.

.

.

"Haha, he looks scrawny!"

"And weak..."

"You boys are so mean!"

"He's kinda cute if you ask me~"

"Sawada? Do you think he's related to Sawada Ienari?!"

"Hey, doesn't he look familiar to you?"

(Yeah... forget about the peace of mind. School was going to be hell.)

When his name was announced in class, he was immediately met with judgmental classmates.

If Tsuna had been his naive self, then he would have been trembling from head to toe from the audible comments and blushed from ear to ear and bow his head down when he heard the word "cute" that was directed towards him - him, _Dame-Tsuna_.

(Reborn would then beaten him half-dead for not acting like a boss.)

When the teacher mentioned his condition, he made sure to hide his aversion at the pitying looks that he was given. He rather have them sneer at him instead.

"Hello, my name is Sawada Tsunayoshi, please to meet you all." Tsuna introduced, at Nezu-sensei's -

 _Why do I have to get the teacher who was hell-bent on making my life miserable?! Why?!_

\- instruction, with a smile that really meant nothing... yet it seem to rile the girls up ( _God, are - are some of them_ blushing _? At_ me _?!_ ) and perhaps initiated some plans for bullying from the guys.

(He knew he was right because his Hyper Intuition said so. And the day he ignore the little alien in his head would be the day he kick the bucket - which he did, but that wasn't the point.)

All in all, Tsuna was handling the attention with the confidence and charisma of a boss - a former mafia boss anyways.

He had gotten the seat next to the window and - _oh, hey! This is a nice scenic view of the school._

... And he zoned out of lecture right after that.

When lunch came around ( _finally_ ), he didn't know how to act around his classmates. Should he be mature, immature, or maybe a bit of both? Should he act like Dame-Tsuna? He had to mentally laughed when he found that similarity between his two different sets of memories.

It seems that no matter what world he came from, he will always be no-good.

"Hey, aren't you Dame-Tsuna from elementary?"

... and there goes his plan of staying subtle.

"He is?"

"Oh my gosh, he is! Just look at that mop of messy hair!"

"Wait, are your eyes always that color?"

"To think I thought he transferred to a school!"

"So that's why he never showed up to class anymore!"

Tsuna smiled politely towards the people who recognized him from, what, _seven years_ ago? (He silently applaud them for their _impeccable_ memories, but that was it.)

"Sawada-kun?"

Tsuna froze at the familiar voice, then the crowd parted for one sparkly Sasagawa Kyoko , one grouchy Kurokawa Hana... and one curious Miura Haru. What was she doing here?

"Is that really you?" The orange haired girl smiled brightly, eyes twinkling in the light. All of that, quite frankly, was making Tsuna's stomach twist into a knot tighter and tighter. "Do you remember me?"

(Of course. How could he ever _forget?_ **Those eyes were dull** - _dulldulldull_ -)

He had forgotten that he'll meet these three.

His mind was focused on Reborn and the others, but not them. They were part of his inner circle of friends and family, but he hadn't thought about them... _at all_. (They had not been there when Tsuna and his Guardians went into the battlefield, which was somewhat comforting - no, not really... because Tsuna and his Guardians left without telling the rest of the family. It made him feel worse and worse by the second.)

So seeing them here, young and in every way carefree and _smiling_ and - it was like a punch in the face.

Tsuna faintly registered the faltered smile on Kyo - _Sasagawa's (They're not the same people. **Don't address them so familiarly** ) _face while he felt more and more guilty.

"Um... y-yeah." He answered belatedly with a nervous smile. "... Sasagawa Kyoko-san." He was stumbling over which part of her name he should address her by that he ended up saying her whole name.

Han - _Kurokawa_ snorted, but there was relief flitting over her eyes. "I'm surprised that you could actually remember anything."

"Really? " Tsuna chuckled, low and soft. "I just feel like I woke up from a long, long dream."

Kurokawa immediately stiffened at his comment, much to his dismay. He didn't mean to make her feel bad!

"Ah, I'm sorry, Kurokawa-san!" Tsuna immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to make it sound so... uh..."

He couldn't find the right word out of the many he has on the tip of his tongue, so he simply gestured sheepishly with flourish of his hand.

"... you know."

The long haired brunette stared at Tsuna trying to apologize for something he didn't do, and laughed... in _relief_. ( _What was there for her to worry anyways?_ )"You're as considerate as ever, Sawada."

"Huh?"

Kurokawa softened her gaze and met a puzzled Tsuna with a subtle smile. "You haven't changed. Less stuttering but that's a positive improvement."

"Oh..." Tsuna stiffened ever-so slightly, because he knew - _knew_ \- that they were not talking about him. It was the parallel him, and it made him feel all the more worse for taking Tsunayoshi's place when he has... friends...?

... Acquaintances...?

... Tsunayoshi's memories did _not_ help him label them correctly. They were on and off friends, he suppose.

"So... you guys are friends?" Har... Miura ( _Goddammit brain!_ ) decided to speak up, giving into her curiosity.

Tsuna blinked his sunset-orange eyes. _Oh... she never met Tsunayoshi huh..._

"Un!" Sasagawa answered brightly. "Tsuna-kun - oh! Can I still call you that?"

Tsuna suppressed a laugh when she asked so innocently -

 **They have seen so much blood, so many injured, that they were used to it.**

 **Heck, it was _normal_ for the girls who had been dragged into the darkness, who were also tainted by the same colors of black and red. But they had been fine - _just fine_ \- keeping up a strong front for everyone... until they saw Ryohei and Hayato's near-death state.**

 **"O-Onii-chan...?"**

 **Open wounds that took too long to heal.**

 **"R-Ryohei...! Dammit, answer me!"**

 **The scent of iron invaded the not-really-fresh air.**

 **"Haya...to...? Y-you'll be okay... right?"**

 **Blood.** _Redredredblood_ **. Oozing. Breaths so -** _sososo_ ** _-_ shallow that it was almost **_nonexistent_ **.**

 **They had cried, the first time in a long time, at the critical conditions that their loved ones were in. And there were no more sunny smiles from Kyoko, no more good-natured jabs from Hana, no more bubbles from Haru.**

 **They were never themselves anymore since of Ryohei and Hayato's return from a mission that** _he_ **send them on... and they're probably crying in grief at the lost of their loved ones -** _sorrysorrysorry, it's all my fault... All m_ **y** _f_ A **_u_ l** _T_ **-**

\- and answered a positive. "Of course."

"Yay~!" The orange haired girl chirped and pulled Miura in front. "This is Miura Haru! We been friends since the start of middle school but she transferred at here at the start of high school!" -

 _Right... that makes more sense,_ Tsuna mused.

\- "Haru-chan, this is Tsuna-kun, Nari-kun's twin brother!"

"Hahi?!" Miura was startled, eyes widened owlishly. "Nari-kun has a brother?!"

The brunet inwardly grimaced. Okay... the fact that almost no one knew he was part of the Sawada household stings a bit. But then again, he hasn't been a constant presence in the house...

"Haru-chan," Sasagawa scolded. "That was rude."

"Hahi! S-sorry!" The darker brunette bowed in apology. "I'm sorry Sawada-san! I didn't mean it like that!"

"It's fine..." Tsuna responded with a strain laugh and a polite dip of his head. "It's nice to meet you Miura-san. You can call me Tsuna."

"Tsuna-kun, do you want to eat with us?" Sasagawa suddenly suggested. "We have so much to catch up on!"

"A lot sure has changed since you were gone, that's for sure." Kurokawa agreed.

"I want to get to know Tsuna-san too!" Miura added in.

Albeit Tsuna hesitated, he still agreed. He didn't want to come off as rude by rejecting the invitation.

"Well... okay."

* * *

 **So... not much to say honestly. So hope you... enjoyed reading? Haha... it was kind of depressing... so I doubt it.**

 **A BIG thanks to** Lalalu, DescendingSnow, MissCorvinair, Little Ms. Pumpkin, OtakuLife121, SweetJaneP's, thor94, Reapergenesis32, TheSilverHunt3r, Bubblepop32, Tetsuya Dragneel, Akane Shinigami, LunaThuy **for reviewing!**

 **Σ(･口･)** **That's the most reviewers I have received in one update and it makes me really really happy!** **I didn't think the story would catch that much attention lol, since, y'know, it's one of the generic plots in the KHR fanfic pool. (I lack originality so yeah...)**

 **Really, thank you all for taking your time to read this!**


	5. School Again (2)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

An enigma.

That was all Hana could use to describe the brunet sitting across from her on the school roof.

She remembered when Sawada - that clumsy monkey that was picked on by most of the class - was always flustered and tripping over his own two feet... and his words.

Kids teased him and called him Dame-Tsuna since the first year of elementary, with the bad grades and bad coordination to show for it. The boy had an obvious crush on her best friend a year later - he was never discreet even when he tried to - but Kyoko being her oblivious self, never noticed.

But the one sitting in front of them, talking _without_ stuttering even _once_ , wasn't blushing like the idiot he was while talking to Kyoko.

... Was he really Dame-Tsuna?

From the moment she saw him in front of class - the calm (borderline _apathetic_ ) composure in his stance, his obvious charm working its magic on their classmates, those strangely deep _orange_ eyes - she knew that Sawada wasn't really... Sawada?

It was as if someone took his place.

... Or maybe it had something to do with the coma.

She wasn't sure, but she found this Sawada to be... a puzzle. His body seem weak, but there was a certain confidence about him. His sunset-orange eyes reflected so much that wasn't supposed to be there before.

If Hana were to describe it, then they seem not to be bound by time and space. The torrent of emotions that went through them (yet they never seem to flood the gate no matter how much there were), the timeless wisdom buried deep behind eyes that were once innocent brown -

("I was told that I was lucky to have woken up retaining the ability to see since I lost my sight right before I enter my coma, though... the doctor wasn't sure why my eye color changed." Sawada had explained when they asked about the peculiarity.)

\- spoke so much about what he'd experienced.

... But what _did_ he experienced?

What made Dame-Tsuna so much more mature that he should be? So calm and gentle that he draws people in, yet they wouldn't want to be anywhere near him when he gets angry?

More importantly, what made him so... distant and sad?

"Kurokawa-san?" The enigmatic boy questioned with concern, the kind that made you want to do nothing more than to reassure the bearer of that concern that everything was - _will be_ \- fine. "Are you alright?"

"... yeah." She grumbled, looking back down at her bento with a scowl. She didn't understand the puzzle that was now Sawada Tsunayoshi. And she _hated_ not understanding anything that concerned her friend - even though they didn't interact much before.

"Don't think too hard," Sawada advised with a knowing smile, as if he understood what she was frustrated about. "Some things just aren't meant to be understood."

"What?" Hana narrowed her eyes at the boy suspiciously. _Did he just..._ "What do you mean by that Sawada?"

Sawada blinked, looking none the wiser.

"... Physics." The brunet laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "I - err - we _were_ talking about Physics, right? I mean - at least I _think_ we were."

 _What?_ That was what their current topic of discussion?

Kyoko giggled. "I think Hana spaced out because she has no trouble on the subject!"

"I envy you." Sawada shot a playful look of jealousy in Hana's direction (and those eyes never looked so _normal_ ) before going back to the topic. "So, about that problem on free-fall..."

Hana stared at the now carefree male, finally looking like his age. Weird, maybe she was just imagining it?

She took a bit of rice as she continue to think. If she was sure of one thing, then it was that this... _new_ Sawada Tsunayoshi was the living definition of contradiction.

"Um... Tsuna-kun, maybe it's..."

"... I think I understand, but I don't... haha..."

"Oh, Tsuna-san! I think it's like this!"

"Idiots, you have to convert..."

And she, for some reason, found that she didn't mind any of it at all.

* * *

Tsuna thought that the first day at school was going fairly well... Other than being under the scrutiny of Kurokawa- which unnerved him greatly - no one bothered him. Much.

But if Tsuna learned anything from his life, it was that Fate loves to toy with him, Lady Luck hates him in the guts, and Murphy's Law pretty much graced him with its constant presence.

So when he met with a group of teenagers whose all sneering at him with an arrogance that carried the ignorance of the world's problems, and cracking their knuckles menacingly - as if that was threatening to him at all - he really shouldn't be surprised.

But wow, on his first day of school? And just because Hibari Kyouya wasn't here to discipline everyone?

Absolutely _delightful_.

Well, for his part, he _tried_ to look like he's scared out of his wits. But it was kind of hard when he has faced the destruction of of a building, a city, a country, the end of the world, you name it, in the face of megalomaniac after megalomaniac after megalomaniac after - you get the idea.

They're practically _docile cats_ compared to the enemies he's faced.

"May I help you guys with something?" Tsuna asked politely. He would stutter for the effect, but these guys really didn't deserve his extra efforts. Besides, he was already mentally exhausted from the day.

"Heh, looks like Dame-Tsuna grew some back bones."

 _Ah, so old bullies,_ Tsuna mused, carefully keeping a blank face. _Uh... what are their names again?_

"You don't really think we would believe that makeup jumbo did ya?" The one with spiky hair and a decent built shoved Tsuna. "You probably made them up to get the school idol's attention."

Tsuna stumbled, but didn't fall, and feigned innocence. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to get -"

The two others blocked Tsuna's escape route, much to the brunet's chagrin.

"Let's go somewhere and have a talk, shall we?" The one - Tsuna assumed that he was the leader - tried to drag the brunet by the collar. (Read: _tried_.)

"Oh!" The former mafia boss smiled, hands stay tucked into his pant pockets as he evaded with languid grace. Sticking out a foot, he easily tripped his attacker. (He had to consciously push away the thought of how it would be utterly _child's play_ to break the boy's spine right there and then. _Just a jab with the elbow in just the right spot -_ )

He chuckled and hovered above the fallen teen in mild amusement.

"Kaneda Osamu, right? Took awhile to remember, since, you know, seven years _is_ a long time."

"W-what the -" The three bullies were quite startled at the sudden change of events. They didn't expect the scrawny teen to fight back like this.

Tsuna glanced around the empty hall, thanking Kami for the lack of audience, before flashing another picture-perfect smile just as he leaned against the wall. "Now, mind if I go home now? Kaa-san is going to get worried if I'm late."

"You..." Amori Takahiro - Tsuna's memory supplied - suddenly came forward with a fist, his face twisted in anger.

The brunet sighed mentally, he never liked to get physical.

He only needed to move away from the wall he was leaning against to avoid the assault, and in succession, letting the assailant's momentum work against him as he kissed with said wall.

Tsuna did the favor of grimacing for the poor guy who was now in a daze on the floor.

Their coordination were just so _poor,_ he couldn't help but assess.

He almost rolled his eyes when a right hook - _Umeda Kenshi_ , it finally came to his mind - came his way. It was too direct, the boy could've been killed before he can made contact ( _if_ he could ever) if Tsuna was a lesser person.

Tsuna arced forward to let the punch glide above him. At the same time, he angled his center of gravity just enough for Umeda to hunch over his back and _flipped_ with the help of the forward momentum, letting the guy piled onto Kaneda, who was just getting up.

Tsuna huffed in mild annoyance and tossed a glance at the three boys on the floor. The trio gulped in fear at his unwavering gaze that - maybe it was the trick of light but they swear they saw his eyes _glow_.

"So, are we done with this game of who-can-kiss-the-floor-faster?"

They sweatdropped, but nodded mutely from the floor. Even if they were amateurs among amateurs, they could still discern the slight shift towards a darker tone in the question.

"Thank you." Tsuna smiled gratefully.

As he walked to their side, he had a thought so he stopped to face them again, adding with a wink and the childish act of sticking out the tip of his tongue. "And please don't speak of this to anyone or it won't be pretty ~ "

And he left just like that, with his school bag secured on his shoulder and his hands had never left his pockets.

When he was out in the open air, Tsuna could finally release a breathe he had been holding since class started. School stressed him out too much... and he needed sleep.

.

.

.

"I'm home..."

"Tsu-kun!" Nana was immediately at the door and squeezing the color out of the brunette. "Welcome home! How was school? Did you have fun? Did you make friends?"

"K-Kaa-san... a-air..."

"Ah!" His mother immediately released the boy and giggled. "Sorry, Tsu-kun! Now, come in, come in! You must be tired!"

Tsuna smiled wryly but let himself be ushered into the living room where he was greeted by three others (Elementary school let out students earlier than high school). Even if this was supposed to be his home, he couldn't help but become even _more_ exhausted.

Talking to people, Tsuna realized, was more taxing than it was supposed to be. Especially when his concentration was split between trying to control his flames and trying to keep his memories at bay.

(He might or might not have unintentionally developed a socializing quota that day.)

But even if he was tired, he couldn't sleep properly. His flames kept him up and it was taking all of his efforts to suppress the urge to burn something.

He stared up at the plain white ceiling of his near-empty room with half-lidded eyes - but _he just couldn't close his eyes_. Not when his flames curled in his veins, not when he - not when _those_ memories flood back in when he tried to close them.

.

.

.

 ** _Craaackle._**

 **Fire, not as red as the Storm nor as pure as orange as the Sky but deadly in its own rights, spread across the sky and on the earth.**

 **The image of the so-called Hell that people picture comes into mind, yet...**

 **Buildings in crumbles, the smell of the dead permeated the air, and the trail of carnage... severed limbs (rotten arms, legs jutting out at odd angles, heads no longer attached to the rest o the bodies... which were sliced and diced, punctured with bullets, into something unrecognizable), internal organs splattered out on display, people -** _deaddeaddead_ **\- were seen at every step he took.**

 **... It was on completely _different_ level of the Hell that they'd tried to illustrate through the eras.**

 **The roads splattered with blood, so much, _so so much_ \- **_redredrediron_ **\- that they were streams merging into a river under his feet -**

 _N_ _o no nonono! NO!_

\- Sunset-orange eyes fluttered open, wide and with too much fear that they threatened to pop out. (When had he fallen asleep?)

He swung his upper body up, sweat dribbling down his temples as he watch his hand shake in front of him. His breathing erratic as he tried to shake off everything.

He didn't want to see it again. The haunting images of - _no no, stop it - STOP!_

His nose scrunched up when he smelled something burning. He looked down and saw that he had accidentally let his flames run wild on the hem of his blanket.

 _Crap!_

He stomped out the flame of his blanket and tried frantically - _desperately_ \- to shake it off his hands - _but it just wouldn't leave him alone!_

And in the midst of trying to calm himself down, he detected his flame's urgency. It was as if his flames sensed his distress and was trying to release itself, trying to take his mind off of anything and everything and concentrate solely on it.

It was like a child demanding the attention of an adult when the latter was just too _stressed_ to deal with everything.

"... fine." He grit his teeth and was glad he left the window open that night.

He put a foot on the sill and leaped, clumsily, onto the tree conveniently next to his window and left to find a nice, empty clearing big enough for what he was about to do.

.

.

.

If the occasional explosion, flashes of orange, and shaking of the ground caught any of Namimori citizen's attention, then they would chalk it off as a mild earthquake and nighttime construction work.

But if anyone was to bother taking a trip to the edge of Namimori, then the smell of ozone would permeate their noses and they'll see an entire area deforested as if a mix of wildfire, earthquake, and hurricane came hurdling in to show the alliance they decided to create.

At the center of all of this was a deep crater twenty meters in diameter and a completely exhausted teen laying on his back in it, staring at the starry sky while the flame on his forehead sizzled out along with the glow in his sunset-orange eyes.

It was a good thing Tsuna had gained some relatively good control over his flames over the past few weeks or he would have released everything he has... leaving his body to suffer from deterioration again. (And he would've _died.)_

"God. Damn. _Everything_." He croaked, cover his eyes with an arm that was probably going to suffer from a first degree burn, if not second, if he doesn't treat it anytime soon "You really are just Dame-Tsuna if you can't even control your own damn emotions... Reborn's going to kill you when he knows about this."

He didn't know if his words were supposed to be self-loathing or self-encouragement, but he did feel better degrading himself - albeit he was by no means a masochist, thank you very much.

Tsuna never considered himself to be strong. He was actually quite weak and vulnerable, especially now, when he's all alone. It was because of his family that he had strength.

But his guardians, his friends, his Spartan tutor/father figure, his family in both senses, _everything_ were taken from him. He couldn't even join them on the other side because he couldn't show his face to them. He was afraid. Very much afraid of the looks he'll receive from those he considered as family.

It was his fault that they're gone. It was his fault for sending them to their death. It was _his_ fault that he wasn't there to protect them like the Sky he was _supposed_ _to be._

His chest felt warm, prompting him to retrieve the pocket watch chained around his neck like his Sky ring once had. It was glowing a bright orange hue, as if trying to comfort him.

"Huh, am I that pathetic that my flames _and_ you had sensed it, Primo?" He mumbled as he pulled the golden pocket watch away from his gaze and towards the sky. "But... thank you."

His gaze soften with a small sad smile. "Even if you can't be here, thank you."

The light abated somewhat, but not quite.

"To be honest, I'm really scared." Tsuna admitted, sitting up and curling into a ball and shivering like a child he really was inside. "I thought I was prepared. But when I saw the girls... everything just... the dam - it just _broke_. It took so much effort to act relatively normal in the house and now at school that it was suffocating."

"And that's when _they're_ not there. I don't know what I'll do if - _when_ I see them again and that they _don't recognize me_."

He laughed humorlessly. "But I guess that's a good thing. I only attract trouble... so this time, they won't die because of me. They won't... won't sa-sacri- _sacrifice_ themselves... li-l-like... t-that. "

The warmth from the pocket watch spread around Tsuna like a blanket once more, comforting him as he hiccuped.

"... Dad... will I be able to meet them again?" _The family that_ I _know by heart?_ was left unsaid, but it was still understood.

The uncertainty the warmth gave him his answer and it made him chuckle wistfully. "I guess that's too much to ask for when you have already done so much..."

There was a pregnant silence where Tsuna just gaze listlessly towards the night sky, as if seeing the stars beyond.

A small, almost insubstantial spark made it into his lethargic gaze before he spoke once more, firmed and determined. "... I - I'll make sure that everyone will be safe and sound in this world... I know that it will never be enough of an apology for what they have done for me, but it's all I can do."

It doesn't make his heart any lighter at his spoken resolve, but it was something.

He would have to be careful not to get too attached; watch and protect from a distant, but not any closer.

It hurts, but it would hurt _them_ even more if he was any closer.

He was the Sky that needed its elements to bring back its harmony, but the elements can never reach the sky no matter how high they travel. The Sky was simply boundless, it was only allowed to watch from afar, spread its arms for its elements to move in, but they'll never know who it was that gave them their freedom.

Tsuna was that Sky who will always open its arms, but it will no longer open its heart for the fear of falling again.

* * *

 **Erm... Not sure what I should say lol, but well, Tsuna's going through and trying to overcome some problems. There's also a bit Tsuna in action AKA you-don't-just-pick-a-fight-with-(Ex)Vongola-Decimo :DDDDD (I just can't help it, okay?)**

 **Hope you... err... was gonna say enjoy but it was still a bit depressing (At least in my opinion lol) so... hope you like the chapter?**

 **A big thanks to** _mrjokey23, OtakuLife121, Revantio Van Cario, errica, Anne, Tetsuya Dragneel, team1225, TheSilverHunt3r, Bubblepop32_ **for reviewing!**

 **And a Merry Christmas to all of you too~! ＼(￣▽￣)／**


	6. Meet and Greet

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"We're finally back!"

"Shut up sword-freak or I'll blow you till kingdom come!"

"Guys... will you all just -"

"Gyahahaha! Lambo-sama can't wait to eat Maman's food again!"

"We're EXTREMELY back home!"

"Clam it turf-top!"

"What did you EXTREMELY say Octopus head?!"

"I said -"

"If you continue to crowd, I will bite you to death."

"Cloud man is scary..."

"... Oya? Skylark, stop scaring my dear Chrome or else."

"... you will be bitten to death."

"Kufufu, I would like to see you try."

"ACK! G-GUYS! NOT IN THE -" That sentence never finished because the occupants had to leave the private plane before it went to the scrapyard.

A short haired blonde with chestnut brown eyes gaped at the damage done, but he was soon snapped out of his daze by a kick to his head courtesy of an infant wearing a black suite and a fedora.

"OW!"

"Baka-Nari, stop gawking so openly or I will kick you."

"You already did!"

"I never said where and when I'll kick you," Reborn trampled on his student's back ("Ow!"). "Now did I?"

"N-no..." Ienari groaned as he was helped up by Gokudera and being fussed over by him like usual.

"Now, let's go," Reborn spared them no time to stretch their muscles and headed for the exit. "Our ride is waiting for us."

"Hai hai." Ienari sighed in defeat and dragged himself to follow his sadistic tutor.

.

.

.

After saying goodbye to... honestly, Ienari only said goodbye to Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Sasagawa since his other guardians left without even a moment's notice - and Lambo lives with him.

He often wondered why his tutor even picked such wayward Mist and Cloud guardians for him, but he had seen them fight - and damn good at it too.

It was just that -

"Maman! Lambo-san is back!"

\- And then there's Lambo.

"Oh, welcome back dear!" Nana scooped the young pseudo-cow up and beamed that brightly at Ienari and Reborn that it was almost blinding. "How was your trip Na-kun, Reborn-kun?"

"Um... okay. I guess." The blonde muttered, looking at the ground. He felt awkward for a moment before Reborn shoved him forward with another mid-kick.

"GAH! What the heck was that for Reborn?!"

"Show some considerations." His tutor ordered while pulling down his fedora, he then turned to the uncertain mother. "The trip was fine Maman. Baka-Nari needs more work on his studies though."

"Oh?" Nana broke into smiles again and gestured for them to come into the living room. "But Na-kun showed so much improvement already because of you. I can't thank you enough for taking care of my son!"

"Mom!" Ienari panicked while Reborn nodded. "Don't encourage the -"

 _Click._

"I dare you to finish that sentence, Baka-Nari."

Well, with a Leon-gun pointed at his head, Ienari was wise enough to shut his trap.

"Ara, I still have to finish cooking," Nana mused, not at all bothered by the scene of an infant holding a gun. (She filed it away as Reborn playing cop and robbers with her son.) "You came back earlier than expected, so I'm not done yet."

"We can wait, Maman." Reborn offered and shot a look at his student, who quickly complied with a nod. For the meantime they went upstairs for Ienari's room to unpack the luggage they brought back from Italy.

It didn't take long for the holler of - "Food is ready!" - to bring them back into the kitchen.

"It's all your favorites, Na-kun!"

"Thanks mom," Ienari smiled gratefully before digging in - or tried to. Reborn and Lambo kept stealing his share.

"Stop taking mine when you haven't even touched yours!" Ienari hissed as he tried to take his plate away, a tick mark on his head.

"Don't worry, Ienari," came Bianchi's voice and a plate of something... purple and gooey and all things pertaining to death... was set in front of the blonde. "You can have what I made."

"Hell no!" Ienari immediately scooted out of his chair and backed away from the thing that had a neon sign screaming 'deadly poison'.

"Baka-Nari," Reborn ordered without looking up. "Get back over here and eat."

"Are you trying to kill me?!" The blonde accused just as Bianchi fawned over the infant hitman.

"Reborn, my love! I miss you so much! Why didn't you bring me with you to Italy?"

"There's no way I'm eating that!"

"It's training." Reborn answered Bianchi and then turned to threaten his student with Leon. "Now, sit down and eat, or Maman will be not be happy that you're skipping meals."

"That guilt-trip won't work on me!"

"Gyahahaha!" Lambo stood on the table suddenly in a victory pose. "All the food here are mine! That includes yours, Reborn!"

"No, Lambo! You need to share!" I-pin bickered back while Fuuta tried to calm the two young children down.

"Shut up Tail-head!" And out came the grenades. "Now bow down to Lambo-san!"

"You're annoying, stupid cow." Leon transformed into a hammer and hit the poor seven-years-old out of the ball park.

"What is going - whoa!"

Gentle but firm arms caught the now-teary Lambo in its clutches as the owner fell backwards due to the sudden additional weight. Though that didn't stop the child from crying when he couldn't hold it in, not with the huge, throbbing bump on his head.

"W-WAAAHHH!" The young Lightning bawled and flung his arms about. "REBORN IS BEING MEAN TO LAMBO-SAN!"

Lambo then thought it would be a _brilliant_ idea to bring out more explosives (his reason being _more_ explosives makes everything _better_ ), but he was only able snatch one out from his hair before it was taken away.

A soft sigh came from behind as a hand stroked Lambo's curly black hair. "There there, don't cry. Big boys don't cry, right?"

Sniffling, Lambo turned his tear eyes and was met with gentle sunset-orange orbs. When the teen smiled, Lambo couldn't help but smile back.

(The boy, Lambo felt, was warmed and safe and all things good.)

"Gyahaha! You're a good guy! You will be Lambo-san's servant from now on!"

"Um... " Confused, yet amused sunset-orange eyes stared back, making Lambo slightly scared that he might have made the nice boy mad at him for such declarations.

"Whatever you say." The brunet ended up responding lightly before his attention sweep around the now quiet room.

There was a momentary pause before he put on a bright smile that definitely had Nana's genes in it, "Hello!"

"Tsu-kun, welcome home!" Nana was the first to respond... and it was with squealing. "I knew you and Lambo-kun would be instant friends! You two are just like siblings!"

"Lambo?" Tsuna tilted his head, then looked down into timid green eyes. He chuckle softly and ruffle the curly black hair. "That's your name?"

"Y-yup!" Lambo suddenly felt the need to make a good impression in front of the teen. "Lambo-san is Lambo-san!"

"... Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna." The brunet responded back as he helped Lambo up.

"Welcome back Tsuna-nii!" Fuuta and I-pin greeted as they ran over to the anti-gravity brunet.

"Can you take us to the park now?"

Tsuna smiled helplessly. "I just got home from school you two, and I have yet to put my stuff away..."

From where he was sitting, Reborn frowned, getting the feeling he had heard the name somewhere. And from Nana's familiarity with the boy...

When his beady eyes met with Tsuna's _sunset-orange_ ones... some sort of a _connection_ was made. He didn't know why, but his guts were telling him the boy should be trusted and it startled him somewhat.

That was a rare feeling to have. Instant trust almost _never_ happens, especially when he's the World's Greatest Hitman. Then again, what threat can a scrawny-looking boy do to him and Vongola's heir?

What was also strange was the flicker of _something_ flitting across the boy's eyes. It faded away too fast for Reborn to decipher - which was, again, rare since he's senses were sharper than knives.

Breaking away, Tsuna turned to Nana, and next thing he said surprised the three new occupants. "Kaa-san, are these two Reborn-san and Ienari-kun? I've already met Lambo."

"Yup!" Nana piped and started introductions. "Tsu-kun, this is Reborn-kun, Na-kun's tutor, and that's Na-kun! Reborn-kun, Na-kun, this is Tsunayoshi, Na-kun's older twin brother!"

Reborn tipped his hat to hide his surprise, Ienari gawked like an idiot, and Lambo... was being Lambo asking for candy.

"Candy?" Tsuna switched his attention back to the cow-child, then searched his school bag. "Eto... I bought some on my way home for Fuuta and I-pin, but you two can share with Lambo, ne?"

"Of course!"

"We will!"

"But Lambo-san wants _all_ of it!"

"Lambo." Tsuna admonished as he gently flicked the kid's forehead. "Sharing is caring is what they always say."

The child pouted and crossed his arms. "... fiiine."

Tsuna laughed good-naturedly at Lambo's indignant attitude as he handed off a small paper bag. "Don't eat too much or you'll get a sweet tooth."

He stood up and dusted himself as the kids went off to divide their share of sweets. He looked between Reborn and Ienari and dipped his head in greetings, "Hi again! Like Kaa-san said, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna."

"Wait wait wait!" Ienari finally snapped out of it. "Y-you my _what?_ "

"... Can I put away my stuff first?" Tsuna asked sheepsihly, pointing upstairs. "I have a feeling that this is going to take a while..."

"Go right ahead Tsu-kun!"

Tsuna made a bee-line for the room upstairs and almost tripping three times along the way -

 **"What do you think you two are doing?"**

 **The Vongola Decimo and his Lightning guardian froze. They look from Decimo's Chief Adviser to the window that Tsuna had a leg over, then back.**

 **There goes their chance of sneaking out to the local sweets shop.**

 **"Erm..." Lambo laughed nervously. "I-it's not what you think..."**

\- He really was a mess if that was happening. He almost _never_ trip nowadays thanks to a certain tutor's training -

 **"We, um... we were just enjoying the scenery?" Tsuna answered, acting casual as he switched to sitting on the window sill of his office, sweating bullets along with Lambo.**

 **"..." Reborn pushed his fedora up, revealing the smirk that was hidden. "Really now."**

 **"Y-Yeah..."**

 **"Then why don't we go for a walk?" Leon climbed onto his hand, transforming into the all-too familiar gun.**

 **"Uh... R-Reborn...?"**

 ** _Click._**

 **Tsuna's Intuition spiked when the Leon-gun was aimed at him.**

 **"I walk, you two run for your pitiful lives. How does that sound?"**

 **"Absolutely terrible?"**

 **"Good, you got three seconds to run."**

 **"Wait-"**

 ** _Bang!_ "Zero."**

 **"- YOU SKIPPED ALL THREE SECONDS!"**

 **"Technically, I counted in my head, Dame-Tsuna." Of course, they were already on the run the moment the bullet launched so neither Tsuna nor Lambo heard.**

\- He locked his bedroom door with a click and slumped against it, inhaling and exhaling deep breaths as if he'd forgotten to breath until now.

(Honestly, he probably did.)

But you can't really blame him. After all, it was _Reborn_ and _Lambo_ he just saw; his most trusted Chief Adviser ( _a **father figure** ,_ the little voice taunted) and his Lightning Guardian ( _your **little brother** ,_ gnawed the demon).

 _Shut up._ Tsuna inwardly growled at the jeering voice of his inner demon. Him not crying in front of them and acting normal was already an amazing feat to accomplish.

He thought he had prepared himself just a bit more when he heard the noises in the kitchen, but he now knew that nothing - _nothing_ \- would prepare him to meet the faces of the family he once lost.

His felt his flames churning again but he willed it down. This was not the time to -

 **Colors lost but those of red.**

 **Of those faces covered with blood and cuts and gashes and gun wounds here and there, dull -** _lifelesshollowwhywhyWHY_ **\- eyes that never closed staring up at the sky as if asking why -**

 _Thunk!_

\- Tsuna smacked his head against the door to snap himself out of another trip down a bloodied memory lane, breathing erratically.

"Tsu-kun? Is everything alright?"Came Nana's voice from downstairs.

The brunet jumped in start but quickly replied with a - "Y-yeah! I just tripped!"

He used whatever time he has to gather his bearing again.

 _Calm down Dame-Tsuna._

(Seriously, when did calling himself that ever made him feel better in the past? But it does now. It kept him grounded, kept him sharp because only one person ever calls him that anymore and that was only when he does something stupid - which, apparently, was all the time. _Stupid Reborn being the sadistic tutor he was-_ )

 _You don't have time to break down._

He stood up, shaking.

 _Breath._

Hands on the doorknob and it twist.

 _Act natural._

He started walking down the stairs, carefully this time. He didn't trust himself to rush down and not tripping all the way.

 _They're_ ** _strangers_** _._

He heard them in the living room and hesitated. But once he started moving again, his lips stretched into a polite smile and his eyes took on a calm - almost apathetic - look.

 ** _Nothing more nothing less._**

.

.

.

"... and that's about it! Isn't it great that Tsu-kun is finally up and about?"

Reborn never knew Nana could drop a bomb, so he was somewhat surprised - but he hid it better than... the other person in the room, who was currently gaping like a fish out of water.

"Kaa-san..." Tsuna appeared to be nervous, but there was something - _something_ \- about the boy that told the hitman there was more to him than what he was showing.

 _A puzzle,_ He decisively thought. An excited, almost gleeful, glint in his eyes at the thought. He absolutely _loves_ to put bullets in puzzles. They usually solve themselves when that happens. (That was just how good Reborn was at them.)

As if sensing the impending doom, the boy flinched and cast a wary look at the hitman.

 _Hm... not bad._ Reborn noted. _It can't be reflexes since the long inactivity... Perhaps it's the famed Hyper Intuition?_

"Oi, Baka-Nari," Reborn shot his student an evil look. "I did not teach you to lose composure like that. This is already the fifth time in the past hour."

His student shivered but finally brought himself back from his daze.

"M-mom..." Ienari decided to speak, tentatively though. "I don't... I don't _remember_ having a brother..."

Tsuna grimaced and reflexively moved away; others looked shocked, Nana blinked, and Reborn have half the mind the smack the boy and then toss him to the sharks - _Squalo's_ sharks.

How could someone be so insensitive - Scratch that, his student has always been a thick-headed numskull when it came to family matters.

"Ara," Nana placed her cheek in her palm, a look of guilt and forlorn washing over her. "You were really traumatized from that - that kidnapping incident, Na-kun. Your memories were jumbled and for some reason, you remember everything but Tsu-kun..."

"W-what?!"

"And I didn't want to tell you about your brother and his condition because... because you - well, you keep getting panic attacks every time you see Tsu-kun when we visit him in the hospital..." His mother cast a teary apology to both her sons, the blonde shifted awkwardly while the brunet smiled reassuringly back.

"Papa had to take you away to Italy to have you calm down while I look after your brother. It took you two years to come back to Namimori, but - but you still didn't remember your brother so... I never brought it up. I - I was scared, y'know? I - It was really - just... if - if only I just..."

Tsuna gave Nana a warm hug to comfort the now crying parent. "It's not your fault, Kaa-san."

He then turned towards the blonde, who was pretty much looking anywhere but his newfound brother. "It's okay if you don't remember, Ienari-kun. We can always start over, ne?"

"... Y-yeah..." His action, though, contradicted his words as he edged away.

Reborn took that as a good chance to land a satisfying hit with his Leon-mallet.

"Ow!"

"Ienari-kun?!" Tsuna exclaimed in alarm, but before he moved, Reborn spoke.

"Don't worry about him, his pain tolerance is pretty high by now."

Tsuna raised a brow but didn't question it; however, the silent gesture perked up Reborn's interest of the brunet even more.

When most people saw Reborn, they never treat his words seriously because of his baby appearance. But Tsuna only nodded and stay where he was, _believing_ in _his_ words. It wasn't the just-accept-it-as-the-norms belief, the concern and doubt in his eyes spoke it loud and clear, but he accepted in because he couldn't do anything else about it.

(Later, Reborn found out that Tsuna wasn't doubting him but _his brother_ 's capabilities.)

"Then... why did you hit him with the mallet?" Tsuna inquired instead, expecting an answer when no one else thought twice about it. "And where did you - that's a lizard."

Reborn would have chuckled at the sudden deadpan if he wasn't Reborn. "Leon's a Chameleon."

"Oh." The brunet answered lamely and asked no further as if he knew it would get complicated if he did so.

"May I ask something?"

Tsuna raised a brow but silently gestured for the hitman to go on.

"Has your eyes... always been orange?" That got everyone's attention, since they had thought that it was Tsuna's natural eye color.

The brunet blinked, but before he could explain, Nana did it for him. "Tsu-kun had woken up with orange eyes, even the doctors isn't sure the reason for it."

"I see..." Reborn sounded skeptical as he gauged the brunet with narrowed eyes. The latter fidgeted under the scrutiny and chanced a nervous laugh.

"If it helps any," He offered. "I was told that I lost my sight in the incident, but I woke up seeing just fine."

The infant raised a brow, somewhat surprised at the piece of information but skepticism was written all over him. "... really now."

Tsuna nodded.

"Well," The brunet then got up. "I promised to take Fuuta and I-pin to the park, Kaa-san, so we should go now before it gets too dark."

"Go ahead! But do be careful alright?" Nana's voice was filled with concern. "And be attentive not to trip or talk to strangers or -"

"Kaa-san..." Tsuna whined childishly, but there wasn't any exasperation in it. "We'll be fine. Fuuta and I-pin will watch my back, right?"

"Un!" The two chorus in unison, proud of the trust Tsuna gave them.

Then the cow joined. "Lambo-san wants to go too!"

"The more the merrier." Tsuna chuckled, then looked towards Reborn and Ienari. "I don't suppose you two want to tag along as well?"

"I'm good." Ienari said immediately, much to Reborn's displeasure.

"Go ahead," the hitman said, the glint in his beady eyes made Ienari back away. "I got an important lesson to pound into Baka-Nari."

"Ah," Tsuna nodded in understanding. "Have fun then."

As soon as the door gave the telltale click, Nana sighed in the cup she was holding. "Tsu-kun looks so fragile right now, but he's a really good kid. Can you watch over Tsu-kun too, Reborn-kun? Till he gets better?"

"Of course." Reborn replied without missing a beat.

"It's really a shame I couldn't get a hold of my husband, I bet he would be ecstatic to find out that Tsu-kun was worth waiting for! And Tsu-kun is such a sweetheart and so understanding of his father when I told him!"

Reborn suddenly had an urge to take the next plane back to Italy and put (many) holes in a certain CEDEF head's... well, head.

* * *

 **So, a glimpse of family problems within the Sawada household... yeah.**

 **Tsuna will be haunted with his past memories as he meets the rest of his family. Some of the flashbacks will be completely unrelated to the present time while others do. They're really just random pieces of memories lol - but of the happy times.**

 **Thanks to** _Fnix de Plata, DescendingSnow, Akane Shinigami, Tazz-kun, snowball, Knight Yuuki, Guest97, puppyclaw.x, Bubblepop32, okay2304, TheSilverHunt3r, Tetsuya Dragneel, mrjokey23_ **for reviewing!**


	7. Impressions

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"Tsuna-nii."

"Hm?" Tsuna looked towards his swing partner. Fuuta had taken to calling him that a week or two after he arrived, seeing how he had spent quite a lot of time playing and reading with him and I-pin... There wasn't much he could do anyways. ( _Walking_ took too much effort and he had to stop every few minutes. He needed Fuuta and I-pin to support him most of the time too so... yeah, there was plenty of bonding time there.)

"Is there something wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Tsuna frowned, his shoulders suddenly tensing out of habit.

"You were staring off into space again," Fuuta pointed out with concern. "You do that a lot."

"I do?"

The blonde nodded.

"... I guess I do," Tsuna chuckled wryly, then allow himself a few swings before finally responding with another question. "Ne, what do you think of Ienari-kun?"

"Nari-nii?" Fuuta frowned in thought and pushed his swing like Tsuna did; the metal chains causing a few squeaks here and there. "He... could be nice. I mean, he cares enough to protect us..."

"But?" The brunet prompted what was unspoken, swinging higher and higher.

"He's too..." Fuuta scrunched up his face to find the right word in his eleven-years-old mind. "Far away."

"... So it's not just me then."

"Huh?"

Tsuna came to a screeching stop, furrowing slighly on the ground, and watched I-pin and Lambo play tag in the distance. "There's a wall around him, even towards Kaa-san."

"A wall?"

"A metaphor," Tsuna explained patiently. "It means he is isolating himself from others, he doesn't want them to get closer to him."

"Oh..." Fuuta stopped swinging as well and contemplated it for a moment before looking up at the brunet. "Is that bad?"

"Depends." Tsuna hummed and looked up at the darkening sky. "The sky's kind of lonely, don't you think?"

"What?" Fuuta blinked, not quite sure if he understood the older male's words normally. But... if he was speaking in terms of - no, Tsuna shouldn't even know about the mafia so there was no way he would know about flames - or guardians for that matter.

... A coincidence maybe?

He merely watched his brother - figure keep his gaze towards the sky. A look of sadness that Fuuta found on him occasionally but it disappeared as quick as it came. This one, though, lingered, and there was more to it.

Regret, guilt, anger all mixed together in those misty eyes.

His brother - figure looks so close to collapsing despite whatever weight he's carrying.

Fuuta didn't understand Tsuna because the latter kept his distance too. They were close, but he felt a certain length Tsuna would put in between them no matter how close they are... just like Ienari.

However, unlike Ienari, Tsuna was filled with a certain determination. An undecipherable one, but a strong determination nonetheless. So no matter how much weight he is carrying, Tsuna will not break under the pressure.

Tsuna pulled Fuuta in more than Ienari did. And he wondered if it was because of those gentle sunset-orange eyes or those warm, yet strained smiles - or maybe it was when he looked like he was about to break when he thought no one notice.

Tsuna is strong, and Fuuta admired that.

So whatever secret his surrogate brother was hiding, he could wait. Wait until Tsuna is comfortable to share it. That was what family is for right? Be there for each other at the right place and time.

And according to his ranking, Tsuna-nii was ranked number one out of 19,804,007 who will give his trust to others without a second though, yet he was first out of 7,735,432 with the most guarded painful secrets and ranked one out of 8,958,234 that would most likely keep something to himself if it could hurt those around him.

Tsuna-nii was ranked one for a lot of things (including being the best possible brother anyone could have). He just didn't know about Fuuta's rankings nor would he care about the ability more than Fuuta himself (he checked the ranking for that too).

Fuuta just wish that Tsuna-nii wouldn't disappear. He had a feeling that he will someday, but he could always hope, right?

"Ne, Fuuta."

"Hm?"

Tsuna grinned, a childish glee that the younger male haven't seen before but it suited him nonetheless. "Wanna play _harmless_ little prank?"

Yep, Fuuta really did not want Tsuna-nii to disappear someday.

* * *

Reborn was a light sleeper.

Being the world's number one hitman meant that he always needs to be on his feet no matter what what situation.

Having to a student to tor- tutor also factor in why he wakes up at the ungodly hour of _five_ in the morning - though he hadn't expected the next thing that he detected with his sixth sense that Baka-Nari claimed that he has. (He would like that call it his intuition, but whatever works.)

It appears that he wasn't the only one who has the habit of waking up at five AM in the morning.

And so, putting away the defibrillator that he had been so eager to use on his student (honestly, the idiot should have picked up the hidden message by now, but hey, Reborn wasn't complaining) the infant decided to see why the twin that had been recently released from the hospital woke up at this hour of the day.

He had known for a while that Ienari has a twin - though the idiotic father of his student pressed that he shouldn't mention it to his younger son because of the reason mentioned the other day.

The information sheets that he received from the CEDEF head told him that Sawada Tsunayoshi was born with a weak constitution (if he wasn't Reborn, then he would have pitied the boy), it would be a miracle if he lasted through middle school if he was to live a normal, uninterrupted life - according the the doctors.

When he had first arrived in Japan, he double checked the information - just to confirm that everything was right (he never trusted Iemitsu's sources and never will) - and found that yes, Tsunayoshi was admitted into the hospital at age nine due to a kidnapping attempt.

The _actual_ report informed him that it was an assassination attempt on the twins, resulting the older to go into a coma while the younger was left traumatized.

"Ciaossu." The baby hitman greeted Tsuna, who was about to tiptoe downstairs. He gave the boy's body a cursory glance and compared it to how he had appeared two years ago when Reborn dropped in for an impromptu visit.

When he had first caught of glimpse of the ill boy in the hospital sleeping with such a serene expression, he was almost positive that the older twin wouldn't last for longer.

At that time, his complexion was sickly pale, with various kinds of life support around him just to keep the boy _breathing_. He had been so scrawny that Reborn wouldn't be surprise if if someone mistook the boy as a set of human skeleton.

"Morning, Reborn-san." The boy now has a small smile on his face. There was a little flesh on his body - though not much - and his complexion was getting some color compared to the last he'd seen him. (Again, that was two years ago.)

If Reborn hadn't had years of experience as a hitman, he would have been taken off guard when he was greeted by the ill-looking boy the afternoon they returned from the one month training regiment or - what Baka-Nari and his guardians like to term it - Hell Camp.

Just surviving and getting back on his feet after being hospitalized for _seven_ years had went beyond Reborn's expectations of the brunet. (And that was saying _something._ )

He had to admit, there was a part of him deep down - very, very, _very_ deep down - he respected Tsuna for succeeding in his struggle to keep on living.

But those sunset-orange eyes... He knew, from a past picture stuck to the info sheets that Tsuna's eyes were _brown -_ like Ienari's. The only reason he could think of that could change them to _that_ color was from the side-effect of going into Hyper Dying Will mode too often.

... But it doesn't make _sense_.

There was no possibilities that Tsuna could have enter that mode while in a coma. And all that junk about waking up with that color when he supposedly lost his sight?

He called bull.

So he was quite skeptical, but the medical records said just that (he had checked the night he met the brunet).

Reborn just couldn't make sense of any of it... and it irritated him to no ends that he couldn't figure something out. (Maybe he _should_ put a bullet - nope, he should refrain himself from being trigger happy. The boy's a _civilian_... still.)

"It's five in the morning." The infant stated bluntly, none too repentant for being a hypocrite.

There was a flash of confusion in Tsuna's eyes before the boy quickly caught on to the unvoiced question.

 _Why are you up so early?_

Reborn had to give him points for that. If it had been Ienari, he would have blurted out a - "What?" - without skipping a beat.

It seems that the older twin pick things up more quickly.

"Morning jog," Tsuna replied quietly while resuming his trip down the stairs. Reborn followed, knowing that the brunet had yet to finish. "Doctor Akio told me that I should exercise daily to rehabilitate my body after being released from the hospital."

"I see..." Reborn pitched in his two cent's worth. _But this early?_

(Albeit he was impressed that the brunet managed to get himself up and _moving_ only after _a month_.

It takes a lot of willpower - which most people do not possess - to do that.)

Tsuna gazed into his obsidian eyes, and Reborn briefly entertained if he had actually saw that flicker of _something_ in those sunset-orange orbs that he couldn't quite place his finger on.

Again, Reborn didn't like how the boy was harder to decipher than he expected.

"... The first week was horrible since I could barely _walk_ and Kaa-san refuses to let me strain my muscles any further than walking _from the living room to the kitchen_." Here, Tsuna grimaced at the memory while putting on his shoes. Reborn strangely wanted sympathize with him, but that was quickly squashed down by his pride.

The world's number one hitman does not give sympathy to anyone. Not even towards his former and current students.

"That alone wouldn't even help me _stand_ properly without falling in a perfectly _leveled_ room."

Reborn almost chuckled in amusement as Tsuna opened the door, and briefly stood there to relish the refreshing atmosphere that the morning offers.

"So... this happened." He ended with a flourish, deciding to omit his decision of waking up early without notifying Nana and how it fell into a routine.

Reborn got the implication anyways, but he has an inkling that if it had been someone else, then that person wouldn't be able to pick up half of what Tsuna was trying to say. He wasn't sure if Tsuna had always been this cryptic, or that he knew Reborn would understand him without saying too much.

The latter speculation baffled him because he was sure Tsuna didn't know him well enough to do that. But if there _was_ a reason, then Reborn would place a bet on the boy's intuition (He _is_ related to Vongola Primo after all, and also eerily resemble the founder more than his student did - Ienari resembled his idiotic father too much to Reborn's liking).

"What about you?"

Tsuna's voice broke Reborn's train of thought.

He met Tsuna's sunset-orange gaze, seeing something that resemble curiosity, but on another level, it doesn't. At least not with that smile that spelled he had a gist of what the answer might be.

"I was going to wake up Baka-Nari." Reborn answered frankly while mentally going through what other information he knew of the boy in front of him.

Since elementary school, he has been known as Dame-Tsuna, an absolute klutz, and not the best academic report in the world. He was physically weak since birth and has always been an easy target for bullies because he was no good in everything.

However... Reborn has a feeling that he should toss all those information out the window.

Just taking in the boy's weak, but confident posture now was screaming at Reborn that Tsuna was a completely different person. Whether the long-term coma had anything to do with the shift in how Tsuna held himself or not, Reborn was somewhat satisfy with the outcome.

After all, he would not have anyone drag the to-be Vongola Decimo down.

"I see." Tsuna hummed in thought before finally taking the first step out the door.

Reborn idly wondered why Tsuna didn't question the reason behind him waking up his twin so early like he did yesterday, since so far, he has been nothing if not sharp.

... Then again, Nana never questioned Reborn's teaching methods before.

It was a brief notion, but Reborn manage to catch himself secretly hoping that Tsuna didn't inherit his mother's air-headedness.

Strange.

(And Tsuna was a bit too stiff and polite, but Reborn only chalked it up for them barely knowing each other - if he only knew.)

"Well, I guess each person has his or her own ways of teaching," Tsuna tossed out casually, oblivious to Reborn's inner gears at work. "If it works for Ienari-kun, then I wouldn't want to hamper your good intentions."

Ienari would have absolutely denied Reborn having any 'good intentions' at all if he had heard Tsuna. After all, a sadist spartan tutor spawned from hell has anything _but_ good intentions - not that Ienari would ever voice that out loud of course, lest he has a death wish.

"I changed my mind," It only took a second for the infant of consider his choices. "Mind if I tag along?"

Tsuna raised a brow, but only to give a shrug after a few seconds of consideration.

The message was clear, he didn't mind the company.

And just like that, Reborn decided to be lenient with Ienari's morning wake up call for once. His student should be thanking Tsuna for this.

Reborn's hitman intuition kept telling him there was more to Sawada Tsunayoshi than what meets the eye. Later on, Tsuna didn't disappoint - though, the hitman had been pleasantly surprised.

And Reborn being Reborn, that was saying something.

* * *

When Reborn had request to accompany him, Tsuna allowed himself to fall into a brief mental panic attack.

 _Hiiiieeeee?! Reborn wants to tag along?! Nooooo! Spartan tutor leave me be!_

It was some... not-very-like-mafia-boss thoughts. (Reborn would have hammered him if he had heard those wimpy thoughts.)

Luckily, he was able to gather his bearing quick enough to prevent it from showing on his face - because in lesson number twenty-nine of Reborn's teaching, a mafia boss should be able to adapt to any kind of situation that is thrown at him with certain grace and calmness no matter how chaotic his mind is. Either it be a sudden meeting with important Mafia Dons or diffusing a bomb in under ten seconds flat, he must face the problem like he was about to take a stroll through the park.

If not, then there would be hell to pay, courtesy of a certain baby hitman.

 _... Not that this Reborn would boot me off a cliff if I was anything less._ Tsuna thought dryly. _Or maybe he would..._

Pushing the morbid thought away, Tsuna gave Reborn a noncommittal shrug, passing on a message that he knew the hitman would catch. He knew that if Reborn wants something, he'll get it no matter what, so he was just making his and Reborn's life easier by complying to the hitman's whims.

He then waited for the baby to jump on the nest of brown that was his head, before starting his daily jog. If he had been secretly grinning like an idiot when Reborn gave a satisfied grunt when he settled on his head, if was no one's business but his.

For two hours or so, he briefly entertained to himself at how it was just like the good ol' days. Y'know, before everything that he's been through as Vongola Decimo.

(Paperwork is and forever will be the bane of his life.)

"For someone of your circumstance, your endurance is admirable, Tsunayoshi."

Tsuna had to refrain from becoming utterly flabbergasted because c'mon, _Reborn_ was giving him a _compliment!_

Those two words were never in the same sentence unless Tsuna had managed to come back alive from saving the world. And even then, it would be accompanied by a healthy amount of sarcasm.

It spoke volumes of Reborn's ludicrous expectation range.

"Thank you and Tsuna is fine." The brunet managed a somewhat strained smile. If asked, the excuse would be the two hour non-stop jog.

He brushed off the disappointment when Reborn left the spot on his head, because really, why would he miss his head being treated as a piece of furniture?

"I'm going to take a quick shower." Tsuna informed the hitman-slash-tutor before rushing up the stairs two steps at a time, ignoring the burning holes that Reborn was staring into his back.

* * *

 **A... resting chapter you could say. Nothing much happening, just a little of what the others thought of Tsuna :DDD**

 **And yeah... I'm feeling _really_ lazy right now so I didn't bother checking the horrible grammars that I made so yeah... sorry? **

**Annnnd to answer the question of what Byakuran is doing right now... he's doing something somewhere in Italy. (Lol) He'll appear... like, a lot of chapters away. And to tell you the truth, I had actually _forgotten_ about him until like a lot of chapters in ( _Wow_. I can't believe I wrote a _parallel_ world fic without involving Byakuran.) and _maybe_ Tsuna coulda contacted the marshmallow addict somehow but... uh, nope. Just a straight up nope because I got not explanations whatsoever... unless you accept something like I-happen-to-have-selective-memory-loss-from-walking-into-a-lamp-post.**

 **Thanks** **to** _Akane Shinigami, Tazz-kun, DescendingSnow, OtakuLife121, makubex000, TheSilverHunt3r, puppyclaw.x, Tetsuya Dragneel, Bubblepop32, DeadlyMinds_ **for taking the time to review!**


	8. Distance

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

When Tsuna saw the two (his right and left hand - _no they're not!_ ), his entire frame froze with shock - _nonono_ \- and his breath hitched in his throat. Then, before he realized it, he was already walking down memory lane.

 **"Good afternoon Tsuna-sama!"**

 **"Yo, Tsuna!"**

 **"Oi, I told you so many times to give Tsuna-sama more respect!"**

 **"Maa maa, Tsuna doesn't mind and we're all family here!"**

 **Vongola Decimo chuckled as he placed down his pen. "Good afternoon you two, getting along as usual I hope?"**

 **"Haha, you betcha!"**

 **"Che," Hayato glared briefly at Takeshi before beaming brightly at Tsuna. "Have you ate anything yet Tsuna-sama?"**

 **Tsuna's smile became strained.**

 **"... haha... I - um... forgot...?" He smiled nervously while beads of sweat trail down from his temple. His right and left hand men immediately gave Tsuna the _look_.**

 **"Tsuna-sama, you..." Hayato started.**

 **"... have been holed up in your office all day and night again haven't you?" Takeshi finished. It was one of the rare occasions that the two of them would be so in sync with their thoughts.**

 **"M-maa..." The Decimo backed up until his back was against the spine of the chair he was sitting on while his Storm and Rain guardians came closer and closer with admonishing looks... and twitching hands that told Tsuna they were about to abduct him to the dinning room - no, screw that, it was the kitchen by the looks of things - and stuff him with food like a turkey.**

 **The scene suddenly twisted and shatter, replacing the tranquil afternoon with -**

 **\- Blood.**

 **So red and so fresh, blooming like a crimson rose.**

 **Faces streaked with it, cuts and bruises everywhere in the carnage.**

 **Bodies littered the ground and -** _ohgodthere'ssomuchbloodand_ **-**

 **Two pairs of glassy eyes stared at him, one of a hollow green and the other of empty amber brown. They were once so lively but now they were** _sososo -_

 ** _-_ D** _E_ a **d _._**

Tsuna forced himself to snap out of it with everything he could muster - _you're hyperventilating. Breathe in, breathe out, in, out, in -_ and clutched the strap of his school bag tightly, yet shakily. His other hand was hiding in his pant pocket, nails digging so deep into flesh that he can feel blood starting to seep through.

He continued though; the pain kept him sane, kept him from wandering back into those haunting scenes.

But when amber brown eyes caught his own sunset-orange ones, Tsuna had the sudden urge to scream and cry - _Why are you looking at me like that?! -_ and fling himself at the two and apologize over and over and over and over - _It's all my fault, I couldn't protect any of you! I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry -_

 _Focus, Dame-Tsuna._ ** _Focus_** _._

 _This is a different world - strangers. They're_ _ **strangers**. They don't know you. You don't know them. Besides, they're **fine without you.**_

 _Act natural! Right, natural. Naturalnatural_ _natural -_

Tsuna swallowed and slowly - ever-so slowly - he loosen his grip; he finally mastered the art of apathy.

* * *

"Ha ha..." Yamamoto Takeshi laughed uncertainly as he and his companion, Gokudera Hayato, stood outside of the gate to the Sawada residence.

Today was the first day in the one month absence that they took off from school - courtesy of Reborn. It has it's pros and cons really; it was good that they get to skip a whole month worth of school, but it would be hell to catch up to the piling assignments that they will have to do.

But that wasn't on their mind at the moment.

"Juudaime , who is this?" Gokudera narrowed his eye towards the extra company next to his boss-in-training, suspicion already starting to crawl in despite not knowing if the person was of any threat to them.

From how scrawny and pale the teenage seemed, they were leaning towards not; but appearances could be deceiving.

"Don't scare Tsuna-nii." Fuuta chided, clutching said brunet's arm.

The brunet with the gravity-defying hair blinked at Fuuta before giving all of them a weak smile.

No additional sound came from him, but his eyes held so much emotion - too chaotic to decipher what it was the mix of before they disappeared in the next second, replacing them with a detached look.

It was... strange.

"Um..." Ienari shifted uncomfortably in his spot. It shouldn't be that complicated to explain to his companions, but he still didn't quite grasp the situation himself. "He's... um..."

"He's..." The blonde made a random gesture and looking as if the situation was rather delicate. "My twin." _Apparently_ , he added silently.

Yamamoto mirrored Gokudera's dumbfounded look, and there was only silence following after that... until Reborn jumped in and kicked Ienari on the head.

"Baka-Nari." The infant interjected indifferently. "What did I say about family?"

"... family is family no matter who or what they are, they're people I should protect my life with." Ienari groaned as he was helped up by his self-proclaimed right-hand man. "But Reborn, I didn't even _know_ I have a twin until _yesterday afternoon_!"

That earned him another kick on the head that knocked both him and Gokudera down. "Don't say it so easily. Didn't Maman already tell you the circumstances?"

"Y-yeah..." The blonde grumbled, sitting up. When his gaze was met with sunset-orange eyes filled with concern, he looked away in discomfort.

What can he say? He didn't known how to deal with this kind of situation. He was told the afternoon he came home that he had a twin that has been hospitalized for seven _goddamn_ years when all he could really remember was living as an only child! It doesn't help with the fact that it has been kept a _secret -_ they _always_ keep a secret _-_ from him.

 _..._ It _would_ explain why his mother would leave the house and come back looking as if she has been crying a river on several occasions. It would also explain why some of his friends - mainly Kyoko and in correlation, Hana - at school looked at him weirdly during his younger years when he returned from his two-years-stay in Italy.

But still, he has a _twin brother_. An older one to boot! How was he supposed to adapt so quickly? He doesn't even know how to act around his mother for goodness sake!

"We should go. Hibari-san will bite us to death if we're late." Ienari mumbled, already walking away.

Tsuna gave a cursory look at his awkward brother before rounding on the two teens that looked torn from staying and following their boss-to-be. They didn't want to be rude to Ienari's brother after all.

"Um..." He hid the amusement in his eyes when the two teens jumped at his quiet voice. It was rather difficult to school his face into a deadpan when he was in the presence his precious family member, but he's getting better with his mantras.

 _Be natural. They don't know you and you don't know them._

"I-I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna." He glanced at his brother's retreating back once more, then back at the two boys and nudge his head.

They seem to understand the message, quickly introducing themselves, and then went chasing after Ienari.

"I'll apologize in my student's stead," Reborn pulled his fedora down. Tsuna could sense the dissatisfaction without even looking. "No matter how many times I try, he's always distancing himself from his family."

"He... he has his reasons, I guess." Tsuna mustered a weak smile that was ready to break at a moment's notice.

Without another word, he walked in the direction that his brother and - _his brother's, not his -_ friends went, the kids by his side and Reborn accompanying him along the wall.

He wasn't sure if the infant was there to keep him company or to assess him; he didn't want either.

"I'll be fine." Tsuna assured with an even tone. Even without expanding his sentence, Reborn understood that Tsuna was telling him to go ahead and join Ienari's group.

"I have Fuuta, I-pin, and Lambo." He looked at the three with smiles who beamed back.

"No." The infant pulled down his fedora again so that Tsuna couldn't read his expression. "I promised Maman that I would watch over you.."

Tsuna bit at the bottom of his lip, his free hand balled into a fist in his pant pocket yet again. But other than that, the brunet show no reaction.

 _They're gone._ He had to repeat to himself ever since he woke up in the hospital. Even more so now when he met two of his most trusted, most _valued_ stranger-friends. _They're not the ones I know. They're different people._

He was a stranger to them now, and no matter what he does, these people will not share the memories that he have. **_Because they never shared the same experiences to begin with._**

 ** _They're dead._** That was the only thing that kept him from crying in joy and lunging towards them for a heartfelt hug.

No matter how much it hurts - and it hurts, _it hurts oh-so much_ \- he had to remind himself of that fact, to accept it. He'll have to keep reminding himself in the future because he knew, _he knew_ that he would have to meet more familiar faces.

... And he'll have to endure it all when they give him foreign eyes.

Keeping his emotions under control was a lesson beaten into him, and he would be damned if he starts forgetting it now.

Besides, his job wasn't to be friend them (Again, there wasn't a description for his job). Guide and help them, sure. He can do that in a distant. He just hope he can get through this whole ordeal without breaking any further. Or he could drop everything right now and move to a remote island somewhere, away from civilization -

"Tsuna-nii?" Fuuta tugged in concerned.

\- But he can't, because family is family... and he would trade the world - his _life -_ for them.

He gave the three kids a reassuring smile.

"Let's get you three to your school, ne?" He made a turn that went the opposite way to his high school, the kids followed like ducklings to a mother goose.

He definitely can't break, if not for his own sake, then for their sake.

* * *

"So... " Yamamoto glanced over his shoulder for a second, then back. "Twin huh."

"... Yeah." Ienari pursed his lips and rubbed his arm awkwardly.

"And you didn't know?" The ravenet raised a brow.

"Tch, shut it sword freak," Gokudera scowled. "Juudaime must have a reason for it so don't make it difficult for him!"

"Maa maa," Yamamoto laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I didn't mean it like that!"

"... Mom told me that there was a kidnapping incident seven years ago." Ienari started, looking down at his feet. "Tsunayo... Tsuna went into a coma because of it while I was traumatized..."

His two friends kept quite, but the silence between them seemed to encourage Ienari to continue.

The short-haired blonde draw in a breath while fingering through his short blonde hair, then repeated what Nana had told him yesterday.

.

.

.

"I don't..." Ienari shifted the strap of his schoolbag. "I still don't remember him - I mean, he _looks_ familiar - but that's it. I - I just don't know _how_ I'm supposed to react. I mean, I thought I was an _only child_. But then, bam! I got a twin who's supposed to be older than me by two minutes."

"He's older?" Yamamoto blinked owlishly.

" _Idiota!_ " Gokudera promptly smacked him upside the head. "Juudaime's having a crisis here and you only care that the twin is older?!" He then turned an one-eighty when he faced his boss. "Don't worry Juudaime! My family is way more messed up!"

"That's not really something to be proud of..." Ienari laughed awkwardly.

"Maa ma," The tallest of the trio swung an arm around the blonde. "Everything's going to be fine! You just have to get to know him, right?"

Ienari sighed while Gokudera became a hissing cat at Yamamoto 's words and actions ("Get your filthy hands off of him!").

"That's easier said than done..." The blonde cast a look at the brunet that suddenly turn in a different direction, probably towards Namimori Elementary if Fuuta, I-pin, and Lambo were anything to go by.

When Tsuna noticed his stare just as he was about to turn, Ienari quickly avoided his gaze, unconsciously pacing faster.

He knew that he should get to know more about his newly-discovered twin, but he couldn't bring himself to climb over the wall that separated him and his brother because one, he didn't know how to act around him, and two, it was better if Tsuna didn't associate with someone who brings constant danger to others because of the life he will be leading.

His brother just look so... so weak and _fragile_. He wouldn't survive _one day_ in the underworld. (He would later retract that statement because, _hell_ , his brother was the epitome of the saying 'don't judge a book by its cover')

Besides, Tsuna didn't really look approachable - not with that impassive look of his.

(It was like a mask, to be honest.)

He felt guilty at the reasoning behind his reluctance to interact with his brother (because it really was just so _stupid_ ), but he quickly squashed that feeling away. He had long distanced himself from his mother, and it'll be the same with his newfound brother.

The less contact that his family has with him, the better.

(The detached part of Ienari watched as everyone tried to probe at his walls, but instead of letting it down, he reinforced it. The more the Sky feels insecure, the faster the scale tips.)

* * *

 **More into family/internal conflict between the two Skies. Nuff' said.**

 **Yeah... sorry to those who wanted to see the prank. I don't plan on showing it... though maybe in an omake (if I ever make one)**

 **A thanks to** _suzie, Guest97, Meopize, , Yhaelle-chii, Guest, Bubblepop32, Anna, YokaiAngel, Tetsuya Dragneel, TheSilverHunt3r, DNA2337_ **for taking the time to review and hope you liked the chapter!**


	9. Teacher Trouble

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

As Tsuna belatedly found out, his seatmate was Ienari, Gokudera was behind him, and Yamamoto was a seat in front of Ienari. It was in an odd parallelogram, and he could do without the silverette trying to glare holes into his back.

Why was Gokudera doing that, he haven't a clue. But this _is_ the young Storm so he expected no less of the hostile treatment.

What Tsuna did find a bit surprising, though, was the fact that Dokuro Chrome is across the room, sitting quietly with Sasagawa and Kurokawa sandwiching her.

Dokuro didn't seem the least bit happen happy being in school, nor the least bit comfortable with talking to others in seems.

 **Tsuna watched as his half-Mist fidgets, opening her mouth to say something, but only to close it again when nothing came out.**

 **He sighed and put down the paper that he has been reading. "Chrome, is there something wrong?"**

 **The female Mist jumped and smiled awkwardly. "Um... yes - actually... not really?"**

 **Tsuna raised a brow. He knew that the Mist user was socially awkward, but he was pretty sure Chrome had came out of her shell by now... at least it was better than when they were in middle school.**

 **"I don't think it's 'not really' when you're standing in my office for the last ten minutes," Tsuna remarked, somewhat amused as he rest his chin on the back of his laced hands. "Chrome, you can tell me anything y'know. We're family so whatever problem it is, I'll do my best to help."**

 **"... okay." Chrome smiled, looking more than a bit guilty for reasons unknown to Tsuna. "So - um... you see, I - I couldn't g-get you a present in time haha... so um I'm here early to wish you... a h-happy birthday and-and I promise I'll get you a present soon!"**

 **"..."**

 **"Boss...?"**

 **Tsuna discreetly looked at his calendar and saw that it was, indeed, his birthday.**

 **"...oh." He had actually been too focus on his work and on finding a present that would satisfy Reborn that he had completely forgotten his own... like all the other times.**

 **"... you forgot it again, didn't you." Chrome deadpanned, turning the completely opposite of how she was a few seconds ago.**

 **"Yeah..."**

 **Chrome promptly pulled out the custom-made phone exclusive only to Vongola Decimo and his guardians. "To think we were going to get everyone together to have a nice, _peaceful_ family dinner like you always wanted..."**

 **"... Wait, Chrome, what are you -"**

 **"Oh nothing~"**

 **"C-Chrome?" The brunet called out tentatively, only to be ignored by said Mist. "Chrome. Chrome! CHROME! I'M FINE WITH JUST A DINNER!"**

 **And for once since Tsuna had been Vongola Decimo, he was absolutely _hopeless_ as he watched the Mist disappear with a laugh that eerily resembled her counterpart and muttering something that dismally involved 'Vongola-Style'. **

**"Ah... they're going to kill me for sure..."**

He had to quickly push his mind out to prevent himself from seeing too deep (He has reached his trip-down-bloody-memory-lane quota for today, and one more would just be all it takes for his flames to run rampant. Now, _that_ , was something he did not want to happen again). He decided to just pay attention to class for once.

... But when his teacher was Nezu boasting about his elitist background (seriously, did no one expose his secrets in this world?), which wasted time instead of him actually teaching them anything relatively _useful_ , Tsuna found himself staring off to the sky - the latter being as clear and endless as ever.

"Sawada!"

"Hai?" Tsuna and Ienari responded at the same time. They shared a glance before looking towards Nezu-sensei to see him fuming.

"No, I'm talking to Sawada Tsunayoshi!" Their teacher specified, irritated. "Don't think even for one second that just because you returned from a coma, you have the right to space out in my class!"

"But sensei..." Tsuna pointed out dully ( _I have been spacing out in your class since the first day I came to school_ ). "I don't understand the lesson and you're not taking the time to explain it any slower." _Not with you boasting about your nonexistent background_ _anyways_.

"Then _maybe_ you should raise _your hand_ and ask!"

 _Your explanations sucks though._ Tsuna had to bite his tongue to refute with that disparaging remark and reasoned, instead, with, "You didn't answer any of the other students who raised their hands, so what makes me any different?"

Snickers traveled quickly with a silent agreement behind them and it enraged the Science teacher even more.

"Sawada..." He started - and Tsuna easily predicted what he was going to say. "After school detention! You're to mop the whole left wing of the school!"

"..." He knew it.

"Did you hear me?!" He shouted with a mighty slam with his book on Tsuna's desk because he has been standing in front of Tsuna since two or three sentences ago.

"Hai," Tsuna bite out as calmly as he could, but the irritation was evident if one listened closely.

"And you!"

Oh god, what is wrong with this teacher?! He's picking on his brother now!

"Uh... yeah?"

"Since you're his brother, shouldn't you take more responsibility over him?" Nezu sneered. (Tsuna idly wondered if it shouldn't be the other way around since, you know, Tsuna _is_ the older one here.) "Are you an idiot too if you can't even help him with his academics? Oh wait, I seem to recall that your grades aren't as good as your athletic talents... A muscle brain then."

"..."

"Sensei,"Tsuna spoke up once more, eyes slowly narrowing and voice lowering to deep and dangerous. "Ienari-kun has nothing to do with this."

"He has _everything_ to do with this." Nezu spat out. "You low academic achievers are what is bringing this school's reputation down!'

 _Slam!_

And here comes Gokudera's rage. "Don't you _dare_ insult Juudaime like that or I'll blow you till kingdom come! Juudaime is doing his best in class and is a _genius_ in sports! How is _that_ bringing the school down?!"

"... " Tsuna observed silently from the sidelines, his anger long since faded after the silverette made a commotion. He could hear the genuinity in his words but... it wasn't, for the lack of a better word, passionate. And he haven't seen the imaginary puppy ears and tails and - _what the heck is wrong with me?!_

He should _not_ be trying to see if Gokudera could sprout dog ears and tails when he didn't even want _Hayato_ to do that in the first place!

"Gokudera..." Ienari sighed tiredly. "Just... please..."

"But Juudaime - !"

"Maa maa," Yamamoto entered the fray like the good friend he was. "Why don't we just settle down and -"

"How are _you_ so calm when Juudaime just got insulted?!"

The rest of the class watched on with bits of concern and a lot of amusement as if this was the norms.

Probably was.

"How dare you talk back to someone like me!" Nezu exploded in anger. It was quite comical, what with his head looking like a steaming tomato and all. "You four, principal's office, now!"

"What?!" Ienari exclaimed in disbelief. "Bu-but I didn't even say anything!"

"You just did." Nezu jabbed. "Now, out! Everyone else, the rest of this class is self-study! If I find anyone slacking off when I come back..." He left the threat hanging as Tsuna and the other three were forcefully herded out.

How it even escalated that quickly was beyond Tsuna, but it irritated him nonetheless. And now, they're in the waiting room in front of the Principal's office, listening to Nezu's muffled complaints from the closed door.

"This is all your fault." Gokudera hissed in the brunet's direction. "If you had just _paid_ _attention_ then Juudaime and I wouldn't even be in this situation!"

It hurts. It really does when the person who swore loyalty to him - _no, it's not even the same person -_ accused him of something he had no control over - not unless he somehow possessed Nezu's mind so that he could pick on his twin.

"Maa maa," Yamamoto tried to pacify the bomber. "It's not like we'll get expelled! Maybe we'll just get a week's worth of detention... or suspension! Look at it this way, we won't have to go to school if we get suspended!"

Tsuna sweatdropped. As usual, the Rain - _not his rain_ \- is ever the optimist.

"Don't act all like rainbows and sunshine you sword freak!" Gokudera hissed, hands seemed to be itching to pull out the dynamites from who-knows-where. "No one goes to the principal unless the punishment is suspension or worst yet, expulsion!"

Not that Gokudera actually cares about school.

"Eeh? " Yamamoto blinked. "But you're already a genius, Gokudera, being expelled wouldn't affect you that much would it?"

"Of course not!" The silverette hissed. "But the Juudaime needs the diploma! What would other maf -"

" _Gokudera_."

And Gokudera promptly remembered that, yes, Tsuna was still in the room and, yes, the brunet was very much a civilian (not really, but they didn't need to know that).

"Tch." Gokudera glared at Tsuna before jerking his head away and bowed towards his boss "I'm so sorry Juudaime!"

"... it's fine."

It was amusing, really, to see the scene as an outsider, but Tsuna caught something else that he would filed for later musing.

Yes, Gokudera had apologized ad bowed at a perfect ninety-degree angle (repeatedly if he might add), but he didn't do a dogeza (... not that he would _want_ to see that). It felt as though the bomber held his twin in high respect but not to the worshiping level. (Why couldn't _his_ Hayato be like that?)

Then there was Ienari, who looked rather stiff and awkward even in his friends' presence.

Tsuna will definitely have to keep a closer observation of them, but first -

"They deserve expulsion for such insolence!" Boomed Nezu's adamant suggestion.

 _Oh great._ Tsuna groaned inwardly. How could a teacher be so melodramatic for being talked back to by a mere _student_?

"Isn't that a bit overdoing it, Nezu-sensei?" reasoned the principal. "They're just kids and Sawada Tsunayoshi just returned -"

"Speaking of which, that boy shouldn't even be in my class! How can someone who's not learn _seven years_ worth of materials be placed in _my_ class?!"

"But his placement scores shows -"

"He must have cheated!"

When Ienari, Yamamoto and Gokudera looked to the subject in question with a mix of curiosity and suspicion, Tsuna folded his arms and deadpanned, "I did not."

"Then how did you..."

"Kaa-san said I soak things up like a sponge. She and Bianchi-san taught me most of the things that I missed."

"Wow," Yamamoto's eyes turned owlish. "In a few weeks? That's amazing!"

"... are you sure you're not a UMA?" Gokudera asked suspiciously.

"... no." Tsuna raised a brow at the silverette. "Last time I check, I am one hundred percent _human_."

"Then check again."

 _What the hell?_ Tsuna stared at the bomber incredulously, but he wasn't given more time to think about Gokudera's hobby when the door to the principal's office slammed open, revealing a very irked Nezu and an exasperated principal.

Tsuna pitied the latter for having to deal with the egoistic teacher.

"We have come into a compromise," The man said, then turned to Tsuna with an apologetic look. "It would seem that you have to take the placement test again, Tsunayoshi, to prove your innocence."

Tsuna just shrugged, giving his noncommittal response.

"And as for you three..." The principal sighed, massaging his temples. "It seems that... if you don't want to get expelled, you'd have to find a time capsule - Nezu-sensei strongly suggested it."

"What." Ienari gaped, Gokudera growled, and Yamamoto just laughed nervously.

"That's right," Nezu smirked. "If Tsunayoshi is caught cheating or his score comes out horribly, he'll be expelled. And if you three don't find the time capsule buried in this school by the end of the day, then the same fate will fall on your head."

"..." Tsuna sighed impatiently. So the timeline was slightly different in this world as well then... it would make sense. Nezu never had a reason to target Ienari since his talent in sports (as Gokudera proudly proclaimed in class) balanced out his grades but now that Tsuna was here...

 _I really do attract trouble._ Tsuna thought spitefully.

And so, he was forced to sit down in an empty classroom, right in front of Nezu in all his idiotic glory, as a thick (way thicker than the first one) packet was dropped onto his desk.

When he flipped it open and skimmed through the first page of questions, he had half a mind to punch something (preferably the jeering teacher in front of him but that would be mean. Tsuna does not hurt unarmed people, that was his maxim.) because the questions were twice as hard as last time - some were even at the _university_ level!

... not that Tsuna wouldn't understand how to answer it, but it would be weird if _he_ of all people managed to get one of those questions right.

How was he supposed to keep a decent score while tackling the materials that he _wasn't_ supposed to know just yet?!

Seething inwardly, Tsuna stared at a math question that involved the _integration of rotational tetrahedron using the Divergence Theorem_ (which he could solve within a minute - but that wasn't the point!)

... At least this wasn't paperwork.

That was the only comfort Tsuna had in mind to prevent his hand from performing the habitual motion of throwing the stupid pencil in his hand like a dart towards a target just to elevate off his stress and vexation. It wouldn't do him any good if he does that right now.

His... ' _schooldays'_ ride on this test. (But he really, _really_ , want to throw the pencil though!)

Just when he was almost finished with the entire test pocket (It _only_ took four _frickin'_ hours - meaning he sat for _four frickin' hours_ in a room alone with a heinous teacher breathing down his neck), Nezu was called out by another teacher.

Tsuna had to strain his ears to listen behind the closed doors.

"Why are three of your students digging up the entire school yard?"

"They're looking for a time capsule."

"... a time capsule? But I have never heard of such thing in all my years teaching here!"

"Of course not, it doesn't even exist."

Now, why wasn't Tsuna surprised at all?

"Then why are you...?"

"To teach these insolent brats that they don't deserve to be taught in _my_ school. I am from the elites among elites and I will _not_ have these... _trash_ ruin my reputation."

Tsuna tried. He really did tried to tolerate Nezu's arrogance, but even Tsuna, who's the epitome of patience, can have his snapping points.

And just to show that the brunet had reached said points, his pencil snapped in two due to the pressure. _His school? He's not even the - and he insulted my family - That. Is._ **It.**

 _Slam!_

The force with which he used to close his test booklet with was so loud that it caught Nezu's attention. "Sawada Tsunayoshi, what -"

"Nezu-sensei," Tsuna smiled sugary-sweet. "I finished."

"Oh." Nezu adjusted his glasses. "Well, took you long enough. If it had been me, it would have -"

"Sorry Sensei," Tsuna gritted out. "But may I get some fresh air? I _have_ been sitting in this stuffy room" - _with a bastard like you_ \- "for four hours."

"Fine." Nezu answered condescendingly "It's not like you'll be coming back anyways. Might as well enjoy your last day at school, right?"

Tsuna nodded and stalked out, but not before giving the other (much more tolerable) teacher a polite greeting.

He followed his intuition down the stairs and out of the school building. He passed Ienari and his friends without returning the greeting Yamamoto send him - but he did borrow a shovel though, much to their confusion - his mind focused on one thing and one thing only.

School was well over already while he and the others were doing their respective assignments so he avoided Hibari biting him to death for skipping class.

Since Namimori Middle was adjacent to its high school counterpart (he just _knew_ Reborn had something to do with that), it didn't take long for his feet to carry Tsuna to the playground near the end of the middle school and next to high school.

As he thought, it was in a similar location as his foot kicked the spot where his Hyper Intuition had confirmed what he was looking for would be there.

Now, as much as he would _love_ to just blast the ground apart, Reborn was lurking around. And he couldn't afford to fall under suspicion just yet.

"What are you doing?"

Well, speak of the devil.

"There's something," Tsuna answered without missing a beat as he pushed the shovel into the ground. Inwardly, he hoped he hadn't spark any suspicion from the hitman. "Important here."

"And why would you say that?"

Tsuna toss a glance to see Reborn raising a brow and observing him closely. He tried not to shiver under the beady gaze and replied honestly, "Intuition."

"... I see." Reborn hopped down from the monkey bars. "How deep?"

Tsuna paused and merely looked at the infant. He knew that Reborn was, again, gauging him. (There wasn't a moment that he wasn't.) Now that he mentioned his intuition, Reborn was probably trying to get a gist of how strong it was.

If he only knew...

"About ten feet." Tsuna scrunched his nose in distaste. "It's that deep, Reborn-san."

"... You can leave."

"What?" Tsuna gave the hitman a questioning look. "I know it sounds ridiculous, but I have a feeling that -"

"I understand." Reborn pulled his fedora down. "But please leave. I'll take care of it."

Tsuna hesitated but conceded. Though before he left, he requested, "Um... would you mind not telling the others? I - err - don't want to be labeled as a weirdo or anything since people already call me Dame-Tsuna..."

"... I'll keep my word."

Tsuna nodded gratefully and left with the shovel and knowing that with Reborn getting the hint, his acting was done. (And he really do hope that he had fooled Reborn - but then again... Reborn can't be fooled. At least not for long.)

Five minutes later, explosions could be heard at the place that Tsuna pinpointed. It wasn't the brunet's doing, but it made him feel better.

... And now he's just going crazy, because _explosions and chaos_ made _him_ feel _better_.

He felt all the more guilty for being more than a little satisfied of Nezu Dohachiro's earlier-than-planned retirement the following day.

(He had been around his former sadistic tutor and his destructive guardians for far too long.)

* * *

 **Okay, first, I'm not the most original writer so yeah. (And I kinda dislike Nezu D** **ohachiro so... this happened)**

 **And uh... just so you guys know, Tsuna's not going to take away his brother's guardians. Never planned to do so either lol. It would just be like he's replacing _his own_ _guardians_ andt hat's not something Tsuna would be willing to do for the sake of his own self-comfort. Since Tsuna _is_ mentally way older, he'll probably consider this world's guardians as little brothers but they will _never_ be able to replace those he spend _half a lifetime_ with. Like Tsuna keep telling himself,** **_they're not the same people._**

 **A big thanks to** _Deacog, Guest97, Guest, momocolady, deelaNerth, D C JoKeR H S, TheSilverHunt3r , Bubblepop32, OtakuLife121, Knight Yuuki, Crazzyy Anime Fan, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing! And I'm really happy to hear that you guys like the story so far!**

 **P.S. Tsuna never did forget his birthdays after that incident because he was traumatized lol.**


	10. A Normal Day

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

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 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Sawada Tsunayoshi was definitely someone worth watching, Reborn decided as he stared at the so-called time capsule that his student and guardians fished out after bombing the playground.

Despite the length of inactivity, Tsuna's intuition was still stronger than Baka-Nari's.

It actually made him start thinking what would it have been like if he had Tsuna as a student instead.

(If only he hadn't fallen into a coma...)

 _But a promise is a promise_ , Reborn looked at the to-be Vongola Decimo and his guardians with a frown marring his chibi face. "Baka-Nari, I'm going to double your training."

"W-what?!"

The hitman pointed a gun in his student's direction. "No stuttering and you shouldn't even have gotten into trouble in the first place if you were to act more like a boss and take control of the situation."

"But-but it had nothing to do with me!" Ienari complained once more. "It was Tsuna who -"

Reborn promptly kicked him in the guts. "Making your brother the scapegoat is not fitting of a good boss."

He would have told them the truth if he hadn't promised Tsuna to keep it between them. He could understand the teen's sentiment though.

It wouldn't do the boy any good if people start knowing about his accurate intuitions.

It would explain why Tsuna had accepted, warily, the fact that an infant can speak fluently in speech and be a tutor among other things, though... there was still the unexplained depth of wisdom that shows up from time to time when Tsuna spaces out.

 _Tsuna would definitely be a good addition..._ Was his train of thought. He may not be eligible to become a guardian since Reborn could detect an unusually high density of Sky flames (All the more reason it was a shame that he couldn't train Tsuna instead), but the boy will definitely be useful, what with how Lambo, I-pin, and Fuuta already clinging onto him.

He was definitely a sky.

 _Maybe as a future adviser._ He pondered. _Or CEDEF Head so Vongola might finally have someone with an actual brain for second-in-command._

Now... if he could only solve the mystery that was one Sawada Tsunayoshi. He was a sky that seem to be able to stand without its elements - or rather, he's trying to keep a distance, yet he can easily trust the elements with his _life_ without a second thought.

He was similar to Ienari, but different at the same time.

* * *

With Reborn here, Tsuna had to take more caution in his training schedule (which meant no going to the extremes). He did not want the hitman to find it suspicious of how he knew combat when up until a month or so before, he had been known as Dame-Tsuna with no prior knowledge of the underworld, and who had been hospitalized for seven years (hardly someone who should know how to fight much less actually putting it into practice).

Just thinking about how to explain that kind of mess that might possibly lead the current him to gave Tsuna a migraine.

For the rest of the morning after another round of jogging, Tsuna relished in the nostalgic feeling of chaos that only happens in the Sawada household.

"Stupid cow, let go!" Gokudera was, apparently, having some sort of tug-o-war with Lambo while throwing insults at each other - the child cow was standing on the table.

Tsuna was currently denying the existence of the rocket launcher they were bickering over - "No! You let go or Lambo-sama's going to blow your head off!"

"How dare you- _I'm_ going to blow your head off!"

Yamamoto was laughing while Ienari groaned, the former cheering them on while the latter was mumbling something about never getting any normalcy in his life.

It was at this time that Bianchi entered the room -

"What's all this noise? Ah, good morning Reborn!"

\- She went fawning over Reborn a second later.

"A-Aneki..." Gokudera promptly lost in the tug-o-war in favor of fainting.

"G-Gokudera!" Ienari immediately went to support his Storm.

Lambo laughed victoriously, which lead to him being assaulted by I-pin for being too loud.

More chaos and mayhem ensued (with the introduction of poison food, kitchen utensils, and grenades - oh joy!) but Tsuna was taking all of this in strides.

Just for your information, he was still very much sane.

"Tsuna, are you interested in joining the mafia?"

.

.

.

Albeit he had to admit, he could do without Reborn's sudden - but not unexpected - invitation at the dining table.

"P-pardon?" Tsuna refrained from doing a spit-take of his drink, secretly relief that his mother was nowhere in sight. His gaze fixated on the infant casually drinking his daily espresso at the head of the table like nothing special happened.

The immediate silence that followed spoke volumes of just how surprised everyone else present were - minus the kids of course, they're still oblivious to the sudden tension.

He could understand Ienari, Bianchi, and Gokudera (He woke up a few seconds before Reborn dropped the bomb), but Yamamoto tensing up too? That, in itself, was a miracle - though he did remind himself that this was a parallel world; there should, and will be, deviations from his own.

"Join Baka-Nari's Famiglia." Reborn reiterated with an edge of amusement to his tone.

( _The sadistic b*****d -_ )

"Famiglia?" Here, Tsuna looked none the wiser but he was sweating bullets inside.

"It's Italian for family and is often used by the Mafia to describe their organizations."

The brunet could practically _hear_ the capital 'M' when Reborn said _Mafia_. "I'm a hitman hired to tutor your brother to become a mafia boss. It would do you good to join his Family."

Tsuna was mentally screaming his head off at how Reborn had blatantly _threw_ out the topic of the underworld onto the table as if they were talking about the _weather_.

Omertà be damned.

"Reborn," His twin unknowingly agreed with him when the blonde narrowed his eyes and hissed not-very-subtly since Tsuna can still hear him. "Don't joke around! He has _nothing_ to do with this!"

(He silently gave Ienari props for giving attitude back to the hitman, who can make your life a living hell just for back-talking.)

Tsuna let his gaze travel between the teacher and student, silently deciding to see how this plays out while reminding himself to keep up his clueless facade. What can he say? He was trained by the World's Greatest Hitman. Tsuna _will_ win the Oscar for Best Acting if he really tries. (Reborn doesn't settle for anything less than absolute perfection when he teaches.)

"Tsuna is your brother," Reborn retorted, unfazed by Ienari's glare. "That, in itself, already speaks for how he has any and _everything_ to do with the mafia."

"He's an average civilian and obviously _not_ in any condition to get involved!"

Reborn briefly glance at the brunet before returning to his younger twin. "Are you saying that you're going to leave your brother defenseless?" _From assassination attempts_ , Tsuna picked up from what the infant omitted - and it gave him an involuntary shiver. (He had dealt with enough of those to last _two_ life times thank you very much.)

"What?"

He idly noted that Ienari isn't as sharp.

"How many people have made attempts at your life in the past month alone?" Reborn asked instead of answering. "In both Italy and Japan."

... Well, Tsuna was _obviously_ just a piece furniture if they're discussing murder attempts against his own _brother_ so freakin' openly. But granted, he was taking all this in as if it was an everyday thing.

"... Thirty-six?" Ienari furrowed his brows. "What does that have to -"

"And you think they had only targeted you and your guardians?" Reborn cut the blonde off with a pointed look. "If it wasn't for Vongola's discreet intervention on your behalf..."

 _Your families would have been lying dead on the ground in cold blood._

Ienari and his Storm and Rain guardian immediately tensed at the unvoiced danger that hovered over their heads.

Tsuna took this opportunity to break the pregnant silence with an awkward laugh, attracting five pairs of eyes on himself. (Tsuna abhorred attention, but if it could break the unbearable silence, he would draw in attention like Vongola's Lightning.)

"Are you guys role playing a mafia game?" Yes, he was going to pull a Takeshi - at least the Takeshi that _he_ knew since he wasn't sure about the Yamamoto sitting across from him. Because as much as he should and will have to get involve in the matter, he wanted his life to stay as relatively peaceful for the time being.

Being a trouble-magnet 24/7, he deserves some kind of break.

Tsuna watched with amusement when he saw Ienari sputtering indignantly at his assumption. And from the barely noticeable twitch, Tsuna knew that Reborn did not take well to his apparent naive words.

Any Mafioso would take offence when their occupation was being belittled.

He was ashamed to admit it, but he was enjoying this a bit too much. (He has a feeling that Reborn knew that he was acting. Perhaps it was him showing his intuition yesterday... Dammit.)

"Uh..." Ienari somewhat regained his bearing, but that was it when the words failed to leave his mouth.

Tsuna had gotten a hint from when they met that he and his twin weren't as close as when they were little.

He didn't feel insulted, honestly, when the blonde had blatantly shied away from him since Tsuna could empathize with how Ienari felt when he was suddenly told he has a brother.

... But towards Nana too? That's a bit much.

From the memories that he received from his parallel self of when they were kids, they were as close as two peas in a pod. The incident had been a bit too blurry for Tsuna to interpret so he wasn't sure what had happened to have caused Ienari of his selected memory lost.

"Mafia is _NOT_ a game!" Gokudera practically screamed and started a spiel of what the mafia was and what they do for a living.

Yup, Omertà be damned.

... Then again, Tsuna knew as much about the mafia as the next mafioso and then some without them making a mention at it anyways.

The bomber then slammed his hands on the table as he stood up glowering at Tsuna. "I don't care about the sword-freak, but how _dare_ you mock the Tenth, Reborn-san, and I!"

The brunet bristled but show no other discomfort. _If only you knew._

" _Gokudera Hayato!_ " Ienari hissed. The bomber looked rightfully kicked, and - and _dogeza'ed_. (Okay, so he _does_ do that sometimes... but only when Ienari's really angry with him.)

"I'm so so so sorry Tenth! I didn't mean to spill our secret!"

Tsuna's hand around his glass of water twitched. Seriously, they have no qualms in blurting anything and everything out!

"You all seem to be enjoying this game," Tsuna gave disarming smile.

"We do take it seriously though." Yamamoto offered. "Who knows what might happen."

Tsuna quirked a brow at how the baseball-lover's jawline was set so grimly... and his eyes suddenly took on a dark look - a telltale sign of a rainstorm that was nothing if not roiling. It was not like the Rain he knew at all.

... And he had to remind himself that Yamamoto was ** _not Takeshi._**

 ** _Don't mix a stranger with a friend - a friend that's long dead because he protected a worthless Sky -_**

"Really?" Tsuna blinked twice with a tilt of his head, covering pain with obliviousness. He would be damned if he was to slip up now. "You sound like it's as important as your life..."

"Because it is dammit!" Gokudera barked again before promptly being clammed up by Ienari's hand to prevent any further outbursts. (Tsuna fondly remembered doing the same to his Storm when their secret was about to leak out.)

Reborn finally decided to enter back into the conversation again by shoving Ienari away with a kick. ("GAH!") "So how about it Tsuna? Will you play this... game with us?"

(Wow, Tsuna didn't think Reborn would play along. Was his act that convincing?)

"Reborn!"

Both Tsuna and Reborn ignored Ienari's protest in favor of having a silent stare down.

"... As interesting as it sounds," Tsuna started politely - almost business-like if he didn't take rein of that habit of his.

He knew that he'll have to get involved sooner or later -

"I don't want to ruin anything by joining."

\- But it did _not_ mean he will whole-heartedly embrace his fate. (Fate hates him anyways so the feeling was mutual.)

"Besides, I doubt my physical condition allows draining activities right now, and I _do_ have to catch up academically too so I need to focus on that."

His job description told him nothing about being directly involved. (It didn't tell him anything, really.)

"But I guess I can play mafia once in awhile if you'll let me."

He could be the errand boy, but he wasn't going to be a core player.

Reborn tugged his fedora down, showing only a slight upward curve of his lips... And Tsuna's Intuition immediately flared up at the sign of trouble.

"Good, glad to have you on board."

... Apparently, Tsuna's answer was a positive in Reborn's books - much to his chagrin. He very nearly rebutted that no, he _wasn't_ on board, but didn't because that wouldn't do anything for his case. Reborn does whatever he wants after all. (Tsuna sometimes wondered why the hitman wasn't a _Cloud_.)

Tsuna smiled vaguely in response. He decided to play along with the hitman, but he wasn't going to let Reborn have his way with him every single time.

"Now, you guys better leave before you're late for school."

The underlying danger in his sentence was evident by the blanches on their faces.

It was just another day that Tsuna dearly wish he could get back.

* * *

 **So... this is kinda of a filler/built-up... Actually, there's gonna be another (and shorter) chapter like this next so I'll put these two up earlier than my-possibly-weekly-updates-if-I-can-keep-it-up ('^')b**

 **We're seeing the discrepancy showing bit by bit guys and s** **orry if it's a bit boring. But - I can guarantee something happening in the chapter after the next :D**

 **A big thanks to** _Ann, Guest97, Guest, Bibliophile Otaku, I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, Knight Yuuki, momocolady, Tetsuya Dragneel, makubex000, Takuz, D C JoKeR H S, aoichan23, TheSilverHunt3r, Zombu7, OtakuLife121, Crazzyy Anime Fan, Bubblepop32, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **P.S. - I'm not that evil. Things will get better for Tsuna... after next chapter, I swear! It's just that you can't have nice things without experiencing the bad ones so Tsuna's going through that treatment. And well... he has to resolve his problem first before he tackles other things.**


	11. Nightmares

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Tsuna huddled into a tight ball under his blankets. He couldn't sleep - nor did he want to sleep.

It has been occurring more often now than before but every time he tries to close his eyes, he would see it.

 _ **His guardians gathered in his office, all smiling and behaving like they normally do.**_

 _ **There were his half Mist and Lightning sitting on the couch by the side of his desk, his Storm and Sun standing in front bickering like usual while his Rain was trying and failing to be the peacemaker. His Cloud and other Mist were off to opposite corners, restraining their urge to fight each other on sight.**_

 _ **There was a sense of serenity passing through even with the bickering and the occasional fights that would break out within his work space... b**_ _ **ut he would have nothing less than his family around him.**_

 _ **That warm and cozy feeling quickly shattered though, as if it was just a picture frame falling to it's end.**_

 _ **The blood and gore replace what was once his family, figures mutilated beyond recognition except for what little flame they have before it completely diminished. A stab at the heart a cut strange across the chest - it should've have been** him **that had received them. A head detached, that was supposed to happen to** him **, bodies crumbled under the pressure where if they had not pushed him out of the way -** whywhywhy?!_

 _ **The carnage continue without end, the days grew too long, the nights too ominous. The fire performing their ritual dance and cackling with glee at the sacrifices. Glazed eyes, all of them, lost their lustre - their** life **\- stared up into the sky with nothing but a bland smile.**_

 _ **The Elements all seemed to be saying that, this time, they will be the ones to receive all the pain that would've been for their Sky. (Because their Sky had endured so much without as much as a complaint, getting hurt on its Elements' behalf.)**_

 _ **But then -**_

 _ **Smiles morphed into disdain and accusation and all the noises that wasn't there before started to come together in some sort of discordant harmony.**_

They're dead. It's your fault that they died. You killed them. **You killed your family.**

 **...** Why? Whywhywhyw _Hy_ W **_h_** y _d I_ **D** y **o** _U K **i**_ **l** _L_ **t** h _E_ ** _m_** ? **!** -

\- "Stop it... stop it!" Tsuna mumbled holding his head in his hand as his entire frame shivered in a curled-up ball. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so sorry I'mso _sososorry._ "

It was taking all of his willpower to not let his Sky flames start running feral (lest he wants a certain hitman to be on his case).

A comforting, ancient warmth of the Sky started to embrace him once more in the form of an invisible aura, the source coming from the pocket watch. It calmed him down, and so did his flames. He focus entirely onto that and three minutes later, he fell in a dreamless lull - not exactly blissful but unaware that a certain hitman was staring at a particular ring _glowing_ on the finger of one Sawada Ienari.

* * *

 _Clatter!_

Tsuna reached into the slot to pull out the drink he bought from the vending machine.

"You know," He started saying, popping the can open with a yawn. Damn insomnia for depriving him of his sleep. Then again, he rather stay awake than returning to those nightmares. "Stalking is beyond creepy... whoever you are."

 **"Mukuro." Tsuna deadpanned. "Stalking is beyond creepy."**

 **"Kufufu," The Mist appeared before Vongola Decimo in a cloud of swirling mist. "I was doing no such thing."**

 **"... Sure." The Vongola Decimo continued his stroll down the quaint little town that the Vongola mansion was next to. The first time he had visited the place, he understood why his ancestor had formed Vongola to protect it. (He had found out that the main HQ had been moved from its original spot since the First Generation stepped down so he went in search of its original root.**

 **He never regretted moving the _entire_ HQ back to its roots, no matter how much trouble or that paperwork came that with it.)**

 **The town, albeit still small since Primo's time, was as peaceful as you can get. It always brought Tsuna a sense of calm whenever he strolled through the unchanging place, as if he was walking through a timeless miracle.**

 **"Why do you guys have to take turns babysitting me?" Tsuna complained, though there was no hate it in, just mild irritation that he couldn't go anywhere alone now.**

 **"Kufufu, after what happened when you told us to stay put?" Mukuro smirked, amuse to see his boss frustrated. "Not a chance."**

 **"You know perfectly well _why_ I ordered you all to be on stand by." Tsuna gave his Mist a look.**

 **"Tsunayoshi," Mukuro, for once, doesn't input his creepy laughter. "You walked into an ambush. _Alone_. Against _four enemy famiglias_."**

 **Tsuna grimaced at the memory. "Okay, I can't argue against that... but I'm still alive, aren't I?"**

 **"..."**

 **"Besides, I knew it would happen." Tsuna tapped a finger to his temple. "Little alien living in my head, remember?"**

 **"Kufufu," It seemed the little joke Tsuna made eased the tension somewhat. "Yes, but you didn't listen to it, did you?"**

 **"... anyways," Tsuna decided not the grace an answer to the question. "Trust in your Sky a little more will you?"**

 **"I will if you promise to _rely on your guardians a little_ _more_." Mukuro shot back, causing guilt to rise out of Tsuna. The Mist did nothing to comfort him because it was the truth. "You are not fit to be my vessel if you die so early, Tsunayoshi."**

 **"C'mon Murkuro." Tsuna rolled his eyes. "How many years has it been? You and I both know that you will never act on it."**

 **"Kufufu, you never know."**

 **The brunet sighed when the Mist defaulted back into cryptic. He looked up at the sky, seeing a few clouds drifting freely about along the wind.**

 **It always does give him the peace of mind when he sees the vast sky.**

 **"... I can't promise you guys anything," His eyes glowed with resolve as he looked back at Mukuro. "Because I'm not going to sit still when there's even the _slightest_ chance that my family will get hurt."**

 **Mukuro sighed, closing his eyes in resignation. "You really do not belong in this side of society Tsunayoshi."**

 **... when there was no response - or just the lack of a presence in general - he opened his heterochromatic eyes only to find the spot that once occupied one Vongola Decimo to be filled with air.**

 **A breeze blew over, then -**

 **"...** Kufufu **..." Mukuro's laugh was dark and unforgiving as he materialized his trident. "You dare to try to escape from my sight?"**

He brushed away the memory and started to head left, deciding to cut his stroll short and head home. "Don't think I'm talking to myself, my Intuition told me you're there."

"Kufufu..." Mist started to form besides Tsuna, revealing Rokudo Mukuro in all his pineapple glory. "It seems like the Arcobaleno is correct."

 _Do you guys just seriously never keep anything to yourselves?_ Tsuna inwardly rolled his eyes while masking his annoyance with a confused look. "Arco... what?"

"Nothing of your concern."

 _Then why did you even say it in the first place?_ Tsuna wanted to ask but kept his mouth shut. "Are you a friend of Ienari-kun then?"

Rokudo's heterochromatic eyes narrowed, then a smirk. "No, I'm going to be the one to possess his body once he officially becomes Vongola Decimo."

"Right..." Tsuna answered casually. "Sounds like your game is getting more and more complicated. You were playing ninja, but now a sorcerer? Do you have a weapon that fits both occupations? Like maybe a collapsible trident that double as a sai? Or maybe it has kunais attached to it?"

The look on Rokudo's face was _priceless_ , but Tsuna was prudent enough to just roll on the floor laughing mentally.

"Kufufu," Rokudo recovered his smirk. "You are indeed an interesting one."

"... Thank you?" Tsuna tilted his head innocently. "Ienari-kun's friends are weirder I thought."

"I am no friend of your brother." Rokudo rebutted, obviously offended

(Tsuna noted that the Mist user didn't deny being weird, wow.)

"Oh?" He raised a brow. "Then why do you play this mafia game with him?"

"It's more convenient that way, easier to get opportunities to possess his body if his guard is down." Rokudo said matter-of-factly.

Tsuna made a face. "You sound like a pervert."

Again, he mentally laughed at the priceless expression on the pineapple head's face. He knew that he was treading on dangerous territory, but he couldn't help playing around with Ienari's guardians. They're so much fun to tease when he wasn't the one to have to manage them. _I'm becoming more and more like Reborn..._

"... Kufufu, you're going to pay for that."

"I'm sorry, I spend the last of my money on hand for this soda." The brunet responded with an innocent smile as he held up the aluminum can.

The Mist user was itching to summon his trident. "You..."

Tsuna hummed, not particularly paying attention to Rokudo anymore but on what was happening a few meters away from them. He stopped in his tracks and so did the illusionist.

"Oya, looks like the Skylark's having a field day."

Tsuna stared at the Cloud guardian beating up a group of a local yakuza that was ganging up at him. "Don't you think he's outnumbered?"

Rokudo snorted. "If he's beaten by those weakling, it should be a day to celebrate."

"..." Tsuna looked between him and Hibari, then shook his head with a sigh. He just took another sip of his drink... and then threw it towards a man that was trying to sneak up on the skylark with a bat while the latter was occupied with four others.

Rokudo blinked as it hit spot on. He wanted to ask the boy beside him why he did that... but he found him already speed-walking away and disappearing around the corner.

"Pineapple herbivore..."

Said person looked back to find a pissed-off Cloud in the midst of unconscious - or dead - bodies.

... Did that boy just seriously made him the culprit?

"Kufufu," The Mist guardian materialized his trident from thin air, already preparing for a fight. "For once, I am innocent."

The skylark barely raised a brow while still maintaining his murderous glare and raising his tonfas.

"Ienari's brother did it." If he was going to clash with the Cloud anyways, he wasn't going to let himself take all the blame. How dare Sawada Tsunayoshi make him the culprit!

"... You shall be bitten to death for lying."

"Oya? The one time I straight up tell the truth and no one believes me. How rude."

And then start another routinely bout between the Mist and Cloud.

Tsuna watched from a corner, sighed, and looked up at the sky with a distant smile. "I wonder how you guys are doing up there..."

* * *

 **Yes, Tsuna _so_ did that.**

 **And it's a bit repetitive - Tsuna's nightmares, I mean. But I'm just trying to show how much his family's death is haunting him and the blame that he puts himself through.**

 **Just so you know, Tsuna was making references to Mukuro/Chrome's trident and the staff they got from the Mist earring - not that this Mukuro would understand the second reference lol. And** **for the record, in the chapter, Mukuro was possessing Chrome when they were talking.**

 **Thanks to** _AnimexXxLuvver, Guest, sousie, LynxTheLoser, Bibliophile Otaku, D C JoKeR H S, Knight Yuuki, Revantio Van Cario, Breath after Death, momocolady, deelaNerth, Tetsuya Dragneel, Bubblepop32, TheSilverHunt3r, makubex000, Crazzyy Anime Fan, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**


	12. Cat's Out of the Bag (1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

You know when Tsuna said he wanted his life to be relatively peaceful for a bit more? Well, that 'a bit more' had just came and went like a candle being blown out by a sudden gust of wind.

And he was, once again, subjected to the combined cruelty of fate, luck, and Murphy's law. (Might as well just say the entire _universe_ had something against him - it probably does.)

It started with a missing Vongola ring. He repeats. The Vongola _Sky_ ring.

Tsuna had to keep himself from wanting to wring his twin brother for losing such a precious item. Not because it was related to the future of Vongola, but _Reborn_ would have Ienari _killed_ if the hitman was to find out. (The little alien in his head happily informed him that it wouldn't be too long before that happens. Reborn, no matter from which world, always has a knack of knowing everything sooner or later.)

"I didn't know you like wearing accessories." Tsuna's offhanded comment - he has to keep an act after all - earned glares from Ienari and Gokudera, but he shrugged them off.

"Yes, I do," Ienari gritted out. "What of it?"

Tsuna didn't know what to say about the sudden hostility, but then again, his brother was probably frustrated.

"Nothing," He shrugged, putting his hands into his pockets. "But it must be important if you're all panicking like this."

"Well, of course!" Gokudera snarled. "Juudaime, let's not waste any more time with this idiot."

Tsuna felt a stab even when he knew that Hayato and Gokudera were not the same person. He had to take in a deep breath to calm himself down. He tilted his head towards the trio -

"... I'll help you guys look."

\- and promptly walked out of the classroom to search a wider perimeter. What Ienari and his two friends didn't realized, and never will, was the fact that Tsuna didn't ask what the ring looked like, implying he was familiar with its appearance.

However... Reborn, with his many secrete passages through Namimori High, picked up that minor detail.

The hitman was planning an unimaginable torture for Ienari for losing the family heirloom (and only noticing it when school was over), but Tsuna's actions just gained his interest.

Reborn took out Leon, seeing it once again at its coon-like stage. He wondered if it has anything to do with the supposedly ignorant brunet.

.

.

.

While getting the horrible feeling that someone was watching him, Tsuna let his Intuition guide him away.

He went down the stairs and out of the building and out of the school yard and - and he realized that the ring was more than just 'lost' if the search was going to be the entire _town._

His eye twitched at the possibility of someone picking the Sky ring up and - and well, finders keepers. Who wouldn't take notice of a shiny... intricately crafted... _valuable_ ring lying owner-less on the ground? Especially if it was a yakuza.

... This was definitely not good at all.

Tsuna kneaded his palm onto his forehead at the complications that would lead to.

"Right..." He mumbled to himself. He knew that forcing his Intuition onto something specific would give him a migraine later on, but he definitely need it to find something as important as the Vongola Sky Ring.

He had learned the trick for manually having his Hyper Intuition search for something specific from Vongola Primo. (The perks of being the true successor of Vongola was that he and his guardians can contact the _Founders_ ' Wills - because the First Generation will _not_ appear before anyone else _but_ their true successors - that resided within the rings.)

However, Primo had warned him about tapping into that ability. Because since their Hyper Intuitions were something that came naturally, manually controlling it would be going against the natural orders of the universe. Like going against the water current, the consequences would be nothing short of strenuous.

Long story short, the headache.

He would've liked to use his Sky flames to pinpoint the location, but the ring itself doesn't actively emit Flames of its own unless there was an external force. It served as a conduit (a Class-S conduit but that wasn't the point) for flame-users who can't activate their flames without one.

And this wasn't like the time with the time-capsule a week ago, since he already had a vague sense of where it was located. (His Hyper Intuition just confirmed that location mostly.)

"Right..." Tsuna closed his eyes and concentrated on his Hyper Intuition like he had been taught years ago.

 **"If you concentrate hard enough, you will end up seeing an orange thread swimming in your field vision of black" Giotto once explained patiently. "That thread will guide you in the most accurate direction possible once you imprint on it something you want to find."**

 **"... I think... I see it...?" Tsuna said uncertainly, his face scrunched up because of concentration and difficulty. "It's kinda... um... too faint."**

 **"It takes a few more attempts to see it clearly, Tsuna." Giotto smiled helplessly. "I would say practice makes perfect, but..."**

 **"Ow!" The brunet hissed, wincing at the sudden spike of pain as he held his head in his hand.**

 **"... that." Vongola Primo gestured while chuckling lightly. "The backlash to controlling our innate Intuition. But I guess the good thing is that the headaches varies depending on how long you actively control it for...?"**

 **Tsuna deadpanned at the Founder - the migraine only lasted for a few seconds.** **"... I don't see the 'good thing' in that."**

 **Giotto only shrugged nonchalantly and ruffled his descendant's hair fondly. "I'm trying to be positive here."**

 **"Hey!" Tsuna complained but didn't move away from the fatherly gesture. "Play with your own hair! Mine is already enough of a mess!"**

 **"That would be weird though. Besides, we have similar styles but you don't see me complaining." Giotto laughed again, but then turned serious.**

 **"Just remember this Tsuna, _all_ of your senses will be locked away when you use this method. More importantly, you will have no sense of time, so unless you have someone with you, you won't know how much time have passed." He said sternly like an adult lecturing a child (which was basically just that).**

 **"So don't use it unless you _absolutely_ need to."**

 _Well..._ Tsuna thought wryly, eyes closed. _I don't know if this is considered under the 'absolutely need to' category._

All Tsuna could say was that if he doesn't manually tap into his Hyper Intuition, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack.

And this was the _Vongola Sky ring_ he was talking about.

When Tsuna resumed his concentration, he allowed his other senses - touch, smell, hearing and taste - to become more conspicuous. The active ones seemed to overwhelm him one second, then gathered into a tight ball and disappear in the next. What was left was a void since he blocked out his vision, all he could see was darkness. However, after his other senses seem to have disappeared, a strand of orange came into his field vision.

Once that made an appearance, Tsuna imprinted the Vongola Sky ring into the thread and what happened next would only be considered phenomenal to all scientists alike.

The strand of orange twisted and turned, traveling through a field of darkness like it was some kind of video game and actually flashing an outline of what Tsuna recognized as the neighborhood he was currently in.

As the path starts to show itself, Tsuna commit it into memory and let his body move automatically to where the head of the orange thread was already passing through.

If anyone was to see Tsuna now, they would think the brunet not in his right mind for running blind. Literally.

However, he navigated his route perfectly even without opening his eyes. There was at one point, the orange thread stopped zigzagging and disappeared at a certain location. Tsuna only etched that into memory and ran even faster.

He didn't know how long he had been using his Hyper Intuition manually - since he has no sense of time when that happens - but he had to finish up before the backlash kicks in.

Sunset-orange eyes fluttered open when Tsuna stopped at the designation that his Hyper Intuition pinpointed.

"... a warehouse?" The brunet frowned. Either he missed something in the morning, or Ienari somehow, magically, teleported from point A to point B that would ended up in him losing the ring here.

Brushing the doubt away - because he should never doubt his Intuition - and approached the run-down building with cautious steps.

He saw the door to be slightly ajar and the lock chaining the handles were unlocked, indicating that someone had been using the warehouse. His sunset-orange eyes darted towards the multiple footprints on the ground and added 'recently' to his observations.

He idly noted that it was taking longer than expected for his headache... which meant that he had taken a good amount of time to pinpoint this place - which means that it was going to be the size of Japan - which could only mean that he has to hurry.

The fact that his Hyper Intuition was also humming (naturally) happily in that back of his head - a foreboding feeling that would turn for the worst if he doesn't act now - didn't make it any better.

Great.

Screw subtlety... and whoever (most likely Reborn) was following him. He's going in.

 _Wham!_

With a jarring kick, the warehouse doors flew open - and almost off of its hinges because Tsuna was in such a rush.

"Anyone in here?" He would have thought his entrance to be quite grand if not for the various weapons pointed at him the moment he said those words.

"Huh..." He only felt mildly threatened at the situation he put himself in. "I guess that answers that."

"... a kid?" At Tsuna's appearance, most - there were ten people in here - of them lowered their weapons.

 _Am I that weak-looking for them all the drop their guards like that?_ Tsuna scoffed at the thought. He lost count of how many of rival famiglias had sent out pathetic excuses for assassins _because they thought him as a snot-nose civilian brat playing pretend Mafia with the big kids._

It _only_ took them the _near annihilation_ of their famiglia by said brat and his guardians to get the message that Vongola Decimo, child or not, was _not_ someone they should mess with.

Especially when his precious Family and family were involved.

He was already magnanimous enough to leave them all alive - mummified in the hospital but still breathing - no need to make another poke at the sleeping lion cub who could transform into a ferocious beast when the situation calls for it. (Of course, some people just never got the message because they weren't _there_.)

"What's a kid like you doing here?"

The brunet didn't answer. He surveyed his surroundings and his attention was caught on two things the second he landed on a familiar person.

First - _what's Mochida Kensuke doing here?_ \- and he idly wondered if the Kensuke of his world would have still been alive if he hadn't been involved with Vongola... or the mafia in general.

His self-deprecating smile disappeared when the second thing was - _Oh... so he picked up the ring._

The Sky ring was on Mochida's finger.

 _Ironic, really._ Tsuna mused before smiling _brightly_ at the older teen. "Mochida-senpai, where did you -"

 _Groan._

\- His sunset-orange eyes instantly darted to where he had hear that... and saw unconscious kids. Three out of the five were _familiar,_ unconscious kids who were _kidnapped_ by the looks of it.

They were Fuuta, I-pin, and Lambo - Fuuta was the one that groaned.

His brown bangs covered up his eyes, hiding his emotions, but the balled up fists were enough to show that the ex-Decimo's buttons were being pushed. There was a brief moment of silence before -

" **...What. The _f***._** " Tsuna's aura took on a calm, but darker - _dangerous_ \- turn. " **Have. You. Done -** "

 _Bang!_

All attention turned to the person who fired the bullet, missing Tsuna dodging by the hair. The man grinned sheepishly, raising his hands up as if surrendering.

"Sorry, it's just that... well, my reflexes kicked in when he suddenly -"

 _Oof!_

Tsuna had appeared in front of the guy all of a sudden and kneed him in the solar plexus. It send the latter flying into the crates nearby.

His assault was also the silent signal for the others to start attack as well - though Tsuna only had to worry about the only other person who held a gun.

He stepped to the side and behind in what could have been a graceful moon walk (Reborn wouldn't allow for anything less), chopped another on the back, and shove the second assailant towards the first. Harshly.

Then all of them caged him in a circle.

Sunset-orange eyes darted from one person to the next, making mental notes of where each person's weak points were at and how fast their reactions would be if he does a roundhouse kick or a forward charge followed by an upside down tornado kick then use the pillar as support -

His headache finally started to spike.

\- and he barely dodges the swing of a shinai, courtesy of one Mochida Kensuke.

"Mochida-senpai..." Tsuna gritted, grabbing a firm hold of the weapon that could have - would have - stabbed his eyes out. "... this place, this _group_ , doesn't suit _you_."

"What..." Mochida blinked, then narrowed his eyes, snapping his sword back and made a few more slash attempts. "What the hell would _you_ know?"

Tsuna couldn't answer, because his migraine was coming on strong and it would gain all of his attention soon.

So distracted he was now that he didn't anticipate the bat that was swung behind him until it was too late. He yelped as it made contact, causing his world to tilt. However, he did managed to roll out of another bullet aimed for his leg when he was about to fall.

He now has to deal with a dislocated shoulder though - but he couldn't even anything about that when he was focusing on trying to keep his headache a bay and dodging left and right.

The chain that held his pocket watch flew out because his shirt was ripped around the collar when he was pushed back a knife assault that he saw coming but couldn't avoid completely.

Before he could hide it in a moment's distraction, it was snatched out of his hand - albeit, his upper body followed since the chain was attached to his neck. (He vaguely noted the ever-present warmth fading where the pocket watch had been pressed against his chest. The presence of that very warmth was the closest comfort Tsuna had since coming to this world.)

"What's this?" Someone Tsuna now dubbed as Scarred face has eyes that lit up like Christmas came early. "Didn't think a brat like you have something that's worth anything."

His eyes widened when he saw the emblem imprinted on the lid. "Wait... this -"

"...go."

"What?"

"... let go," Tsuna growled, his eye flickered in an array of emotions until they glow an intense orange; his voice was deeper than before, calmer, and _dangerous_. " **or I'll break _every single damn bone in your f***ing body._** "

The sudden oppressing aura gave the man a slight jot, unconsciously releasing his grip on the golden pocket watch.

Tsuna stood stock still, yet the air around him seemed become heavier, hotter, more chaotic, and _absolutely suffocating_. His hand went around his pocket watch gently while he glared, one glowing eye hid away by his bangs and the other conveyed his unforgiving flood of rage, successfully making him look like the beast of the jungle. (The pulsing warmth of reassurance from his watch was the only thing keeping him from going completely berserk - _How_ dare _they touch something that Dad gave me._ )

"I think we play around enough, yes?"

The others tried to gather their bearing, but they couldn't as much as _stutter a response_ at the sudden flare of aura that made them feel like _ants_ about to be squashed. Fortunately for them, Tsuna was knocked out of his trance because of his probing headache and was reminded that luck was never on his side when a _shovel_ successfully hit his solar plexus, sending him skidding a few feet towards the exit.

"... dammit." Tsuna coughed out a bit of blood, feeling the all too familiar pain of a rib cracking and blood oozing out in the now-stomach wound. But he cannot just stay down like _this_. Not when Fuuta, I-pin, Lambo - siblings - _family_ were in danger!

Tsuna tried to get up, but he only flopped back down pathetically; his strength rapidly leaving him and his mind wasn't faring any better.

 _Click._

"Sorry brat, but we're going to have to take you out." The man holding the second gun sneered. "Maybe in your next life, you would learn not to walk into unknown territory."

When the man was about to fire his gun at near point-blank, Tsuna had thought he wasted another life.

 _Bang!_

.

.

.

He didn't.

Another bullet came whizzing in, deflecting the first away from its originally trajectory mere seconds before it could drill a hole in Tsuna's skull.

Tsuna chuckled weakly as he pushed himself up on one knee, ignoring his body's plead to lie down. "You were kinda late..."

Even without looking, Tsuna knew - his Hyper Intuition had confirmed it a while ago - that an infant hitman was standing at the entrance, gun smoking from being recently fired.

He looked off to his side anyways, just to see his former tutor scowling at him in displeasure.

"... Reborn."

"... you got a lot of explaining to do later." Reborn all but demanded as he tossed something that landed into Tsuna's field of blurring vision. "And Leon made this. For you apparently."

Tsuna stared at the black, finger-less leather gloves and couldn't hold back a chuckle.

He remembered when his mittens were destroyed at some point in time because his guardians were being extra rampant - though it did start with some idiotic Old Blood famiglia, again, with an ego too big for their head because they thought they could mess with Vongola by aiming for Tsuna's life (that was pushing his Guardians' buttons), involve the innocents (that was pushing Tsuna's buttons), and get away with it.

Pffft. As if. (That famiglia had no idea what kind of flags that they had raised.)

It was the destruction of a _several_ national monuments, a few mountains and cities... then it was disappearance of a few _islands_ of Italy (thank god they had evacuated the people before it had gotten to that large of a scale) because _some_ people just couldn't keep their tempers in check.

And so, they did the impossible, which was pissing Tsuna off far and beyond. (And Tsuna being the epitome of patience, that was saying something.)

It led to fierce Sky flames practically _oozing_ out of every pore of Tsuna's body. The output was so concentrated and intense that the mittens crafted by Leon were _burned away_ in the process.

It also led to the complete annihilation of the Old Blood famiglia - and probably its allies if they had stayed loyal till the end. (They were still alive, mind you, but their roots were pulled from ground up and tossed into the fire. Hell, it wouldn't be surprising if they never could walk out of the hospital again... the mental hospital that is) And the map makers all over the word had to update Italy's geography with a few landmarks and islands less... as well as good chunk of the heel of the boot-shaped country courtesy of an XX-Burner times Tsuna in his never-to-be-activated 'you're-all-going-to- f***ing-die' extreme mode set to the broken limit.

(In other words, there was no limit.)

... At least Leon was kind enough to give him a replacement.

"It sure brings back a lot of memories." For a moment, his headache subsided as he took the gloves into his hands.

He sighed softly, eyes closing before he pulled them on.

Things were about to get heated up.

* * *

 **So, I was deciding on when Reborn would find out, but I realized that it's already the 12th chapter and that I have been pushing it because Reborn would find out _sooner_ rather than later so... this happened. (But it's too long so I cut it into two parts)**

 **I like seeing Giotto and Tsuna as a father-son pair. I wish there were more of those fanfics around but oh well.**

 **Sorry for my usage of Hyper Intuition. It somehow turned into... something that was way more than a lie detector and probably something closer to the all-know/ all-seeing aspect lol.**

 **Also, I can't make Tsuna too strong... yet. He was previously a mafia boss of the strongest famiglia in the underworld, so I have gauged that he's probably one of the people standing on top when it comes to personal strength (How else would he keep his enemies - but more importantly, his _guardians -_ in check?) so I needed to restrain him a bit. So... I prepared some setbacks (backlashes) for him so that he was kept at a relatively average level of power or else, he would already have been flipping the entire mafia society of this parallel world upside down already.**

 **Besides, no one want's an angry Tsuna now do we? Because that would be horrible.**

 **Thanks to** _LovEInsanity, OSR fanatic, Guest(2), lilmymyshem, PhantomCielo27, PureInsanity39, Blaze27, Guest(1), setsuna koori, Fallen Outcast, Ann, nakamura1miu, thor94, yaoiyurilovers, OtakuLife121, PureInsanity39, TheSilverHunt3r, Tetsuya Dragneel, YokaiAngel, D C JoKeR H S, Meopize, Neko1290, makubex000, Knight Yuuki, After-tea , Gersus, croixisdaddy_ **for reviewing! (Holy -! That's a lot of reviews o-o but really, thanks for taking the time to give my story a response! You guys give me the motivation to push forward!)**


	13. Cat's Out of the Bag (2)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

.

.

.

Hands stretched, clenched and un-clenched to get the feel of the finglerless leather gloves, the familiarity of wielding the article that would turn into deadly weapons came back to him within seconds.

"No need for the bullet... Reborn." Tsuna's voice turned a deep alto as startling Sky flames burst into existence on his forehead and his hands, changing the finger-less gloves into the all-too familiar steel gray and black with the Vongola crest crystallized on the back; his eyes taking on an unnatural orange glow.

His mind now felt calmer - One of the perks of being in Hyper Dying Will mode was that it clears up his mind and sets everything aside for later. (He was _so_ going to have a major backlash because of the suppression, but at least he won't have to deal with second degree burns anymore.)

(He would have went into that mode earlier but he wasn't sure if he could control his flames better than when he does have gloves to channel flames through. Besides, his migraine kept him from even _thinking_ about it.)

And the moment his Sky flames manifested, changing the appearance of his gloves, the ring that Mochida was wearing resonated by illuminating a matching brilliant orange.

.

.

.

In another part of Namimori, the other Vongola rings seemed to react as well, surprising the wielders at the abnormality.

"W-what's going on?! Why are they doing that?!"

"Haha, my ring's doing a transformation!"

"Is it a UMA's doing?!"

"This is EXTREME!"

 _... Mukuro-sama... do you know what's happening?_

 _Oya oya, this is an interesting twist._

"Hn."

The holders all felt a faint pull, as if it was a calling, but none of them followed the invisible tug except for one Hibari Kyouya.

Because _someone_ was disturbing his nap, he's going to bite the culprit to death when he finds them.

.

.

.

Tsuna was in front of Mochida in _seconds_ to snatched the Sky ring away the moment it reacted. Now in his palm, the ring seemed to be conflicted on which forms to take on.

He frowned, wondering why that was happening. The Vongola rings were still in their sealed state and without the First Generation's permission, then they will not revert back to their original states... Tsuna didn't really understand _why_ the rings were still sealed though, seeing as this was two years further than when he had inherited - oh wait...

 _... It would only make sense._ He mused, coming to his own speculation. He idly noted that his pocket watch was thrumming against his chest in response to the ring. He could only conclude that it was due to the similarity in the flames that reside in both.

"Reborn-san." Tsuna tossed the fickle ring towards the hitman, making sure to be polite even though his act was... pretty much blown. "If I'm right, then that belongs to Ienari-kun."

Reborn caught Sky ring while Tsuna made quick work of the guys that had him in a pickle just a few minutes prior.

( _Thwack._

A broken rib here,

 _Smack._

jab in the guts and uppercut leading to unhinged jaws there,

 _Whack._

and a clean sweep everywhere.)

Ignoring what was now a one-sided bloodless _carnage_ , the hitman looked down... only to pulled his fedora downwards to hide his surprise when he saw the ring flickering from one with rainbow-color, rectangular gems that flanked both sides of the Vongola crest to the one he had been familiar with for years.

... He wasn't sure if it was still the Vongola Sky ring anymore. And why had it reacted so strongly when Tsuna manifested his flames? (He was quite disappointed that he didn't get to put a bullet through the brunet's skull like he did many times with Ienari.) And why was the object Tsuna valued so greatly glowing a similar color to the ring?

There was a green glow that caught Reborn's attention. It came from the ring that was hiding in Lambo's afro. He wondered if -

"Mochida-senpai." Tsuna's disapproving voice brought Reborn out of his thoughts. He saw the brunet towering over the one aforementioned - the rest were now unconscious.

"There's a reason behind this, isn't there." Tsuna wasn't even questioning Mochida because he was confident in his enhanced Intuition (due to being in Hyper Dying Will mode) at work. "This isn't _you_."

Mochida made the mistake of looking directly into sunset-orange orbs. They held disapproval and disappointment that somehow made him felt like he had just kicked a puppy; yet, there was a firm belief in Mochida that he hadn't done anything wrong - _warmthacceptance **understanding**._

It made his mouth move automatically.

"T-they wanted to find... um..." He stumbled over his words. "some sort kind of prince? H-he's supposed to be famous within the Italian mafia..."

"..." Tsuna's eyes narrowed and silently gestured for the older teen to continue.

"I... um... my old man had _connections_ and well... " Mochida fidgeted under the unnerving stare. "They... the Yamaguchi decided to force me to... join them... If I don't then - then they'll..."

"... they threatened you with your family?" Tsuna all but _growled._ It made Mochida gulp, sweating slightly at how _out of character_ that seemed. He didn't know much about Sawada Tsunayoshi, but he had heard the brunet was a scrawny wimp who couldn't hurt a fly. (Some even made jokes about how a fly would be able to give him a beating.)

... and everything the brunet had done in this one fight proved the rumors wrong. _Completely wrong._

"Y-yeah... pretty much..."

"... I see." Tsuna soften his intense stare, making Mochida relax a bit; however, it did last long when -

"Herbivores..."

\- One Hibari Kyouya decided to make his presence known.

Tsuna, however, against his better judgment, decided to ignore the volatile teen to check on the five unconscious kids.

There were some faint bruises - Tsuna had to reel in his anger ( _Why are they always made the victim? Whywhywhy?_ ) before his flames decided to go rampant - and he switched from wielding sky orange to a sunny yellow, surprising all other occupants in the warehouse... the ones that were still conscious anyways.

Reborn tugged down his fedora. He would never admit it out loud but he was surprised (and more than a bit impressed) that Tsuna was a multi-flame user.

Hibari Kyouya, on the other hand, saw a potential opponent and _lunged_.

 **"Little One."**

 **Tsuna sighed exasperatedly as the Vongola Cloud dropped a folder on his desk. "Welcome back Kyouya, and what, may I ask, do I owe the pleasure of being addressed by _that_ again? I'm pretty sure we've gone over how I'm not that short anymore."**

 **"Hn."**

 **"... seriously?" Tsuna looked at him incredulously, being quite adept in the Hibari speech. "Just because I lost the last time we sparred due to my _height difference?!_ "**

 **"Hn."**

 **"I am _not_ getting rusty!"**

 **The look that Kyouya gave Tsuna made the latter realized what his Cloud guardian was trying to do.**

 **Baiting Tsuna into agreeing to a fight.**

 **"You did not just - _my_ _god_ _Kyouya!_ I am not going to fall for that! I know my own strength like the back of my hand thank you very much so I don't _need_ another spar when I have _this -"_ he patted at the towering stack of paper on his desk "- to get through by the end of this afternoon or Reborn will have my head!"**

 **"Little One then."**

 **" _Kyouya!_ " Tsuna shouted as the Cloud stride out of his office... though he didn't get that far when Tsuna decided to look into the report that Kyouya handed him.**

 **"Hibari Kyouya, you... _YOU DESTROYED THE WHITE HOUSE?!_ "**

 **"Hn."**

 **"Don't 'hn' me - oi, don't you _dare_ walk out on me - Kyouya? Kyouya! Dammit - _KYOUYA!_ "**

 **Kyouya was definitely going to be waiting in the training room because he knew Tsuna would be hunting him down, demanding for an explanation as to _why_ he had done something that could quite possibly have them going into a war against the U.S. of - _freakin'_ \- A. (... If they ever find the identity of the culprit that is.)**

 **Tsuna was going to have to get it out of Kyouya through a fight though, just like how it had always been. B** **oth the Cloud and the Sky knew this was how the former whines after returning unsatisfied by the boring mission he was given - which, was _not,_ by any standards, the remodeling of the White House.**

Tsuna made a frown when Hibari tried to smack a tonfa in his face. Read: tried.

The brunette acted quick enough to snatch said weapon away, tossing it aside when he found no use for it. Hibari bristled and retaliated by swinging his _other_ tonfa, but Tsuna grabbed that one as well - along with the arm. With a clear and calculated move, he -

 _Wheeze... cough!_

\- Tsuna's Hyper Dying Will mode was slipping. He had already over-strained his body before entering the aforementioned state and pushing it beyond its current limit resulted in a limited hold on said mode. He had also used Sun Flames, and not being his primary Flames meant that it took more energy to control.

And let's not forget about the blood lost from the shovel-made stomach wound. (He's going to be in _so_ much trouble.)

His grip on Hibari loosen, allowing the latter to aim of punch into his guts. ( _Hel~lo_ more blood.)

Having the wind knocked out of him, Tsuna promptly slipped out of Hyper Dying Will mode and - well... he felt _pain._

"Gah...!" Tsuna dropped onto all fours, shaking. His sudden fall made Hibari paused and look in confusion.

His hand went to clutch the front of his shirt, feeling his lunges _burn_ and hack even harder - it was more painful than his stomach wound - until blood eventually spew out of his mouth.

It suddenly got much - _too much_ \- more difficult to breath, his vision blurring with the headache that had been suppressed and now coming on with _double_ the intensity. He felt like being at injected by thousands upon thousands of burning needles while having his mind being squeezed into a a small container the size of a pea pod.

Thanks to that, he lost complete control over his flames, leading to them abandoning their job post of supporting his internal system, favoring to overwhelm his body instead due to the chaotic mixture of emotions.

 _Ohgodohgodohgod - !_ Tsuna felt a warmth slowly enclosing him, making him to relax slightly before collapsing.

* * *

Reborn had watched, rather unnerved much to his own surprised, as Tsuna wreathed in pain that he could only conclude to be the effect of going into Hyper Dying Will mode for the first time.

The speculation doesn't make _sense_ though. Tsuna acted as though he was quite _familiar_ with that state - he even said he didn't need the bullet, implying he _knew_.

(He was _so_ going to demand - no wait, _torture,_ because no one hides secrets from the World's Greatest Hitman and gets away unscathed - an explanation out of Tsuna for how he _knew_.)

Then the Vongola Ring _flared_ once more (It had settled back down to normal a few minutes ago) and something glowed a matching color within Tsuna's curled form.

He could sense the invisible tendrils of Sky Flames - not Tsuna's because the signature was similar, _too similar_ , to the one that was currently being emitted from the Vongola Sky ring - wrapping the boy like a comforting blanket. The result was Tsuna relaxing his muscles slightly and collapsing - most likely due to exhaustion blood lost.

He trotted towards the unconscious brunet lying curled up on his side, and examined him. One touch and Reborn's face turned grim.

The boy needed to get proper treatment. _Now._

Leon, sensing the its master's thought, turned into a phone and automatically dialed for the hospital.

"Hibari," Reborn said, his voice leaving no room for argument as he focused his Sun Flames in treating the physical wound. "Get your committee to clean this place up."

Hibari glared at the Arcobaleno for ordering him around, but turned around to do what he was told. Even the Skylark could see this wasn't the time for shenanigans at the moment.

"You." He looked towards Mochida, who was still not back from 'Holy f***, Sawada Tsunayoshi just went up against _Hibari Kyouya_ and _stole_ a tonfa!'

Yes. His mind had stopped processing at that point.

"Quit being an idiot and get the kids out of here."

That, and along with the telltale click of a gun, helped Mochida to get his gears turning again. He was baffled as to why a _baby_ would be holding a _mother-effin'_ gun but he wasn't going to test if it's real.

It _looks_ real enough as it is.

"And don't forget to fill Hibari in on what had happened." Reborn added, causing Mochida to freeze because he had to confront _Hibari Kyouya_. However, a bullet shot in front of his feet got him working his muscles... and confirming that yes, the _mother-effin'_ gun's real.

When Reborn had finished tending the wound, he fished out the still-glowing object that Tsuna was curling protectively over even in his unconscious state. It was a golden pocket watch. With the _Vongola Crest_ and ' _Vongola Famiglia_ ' of all things engraved on it.

At a close proximity with each other, the ring and pocket watch resonated until they found an equilibrium. Then, something even more confusing - but leaning more towards the bizarre scale - happened.

 _Vongola Primo_ , in all his Hyper Dying Will mode glory, was being projected out of the _Vongola Sky ring._

Reborn very much want to display the 'WTF' face, but he had a reputation to keep so no.

"... the child really does not know his limits." Primo mused as he examined the unconscious brunet with a small frown. He then emitted an identical flame signature to the one covering the brunet, increasing the density and easing Tsuna's irregular breathing rate back to normal.

He turned towards Reborn, a serious gaze turning grim.

"I told him I would watch over the child since he and I are but the same." Primo said cryptically.

What.

"Therefore, I rather you not interrogate the child, Sun Arcobaleno. Everyone is entitled to have secrets." The Vongola Founder _scolded,_ and before disappearing back into the ring, he added - "However, I realized that the child will keep everything to himself unless forced to spill. So do what you must but heed my words, do _not_ push him too far. He has been through enough as it is."

.

.

.

Did... did _the_ Vongola Primo just - just sounded like a protective _father?_

... then again, Sawada Tsunayoshi _is_ his descendant - actually, they can pass off as a father-son pair.

But, again. _What._

* * *

 **Yes, the gloves that Tsuna wore just now was the ones he had before the upgrade. I'm aware of that. Besides, wouldn't Tsuna having his Vongola gear a bit of an overkill? On _these_ guys? Please, they're lucky that Tsuna has shown them mercy even though they kidnapped his family and he almost _died_ by their hands.**

 **And if there is anyone who might think that Tsuna's gonna be the next Sky Arcobaleno... No. I'm not making him one. Even though Tsuna's sickly condition seems similar said Arcobaleno, it isn't. (I don't see the point when Tsuna is going to lift the curse anyways - oops, spoiler (not really) - so yeah... I'm not going to put Tsuna through more health issues than he already has due to being born weak.)**

 **Also, I apologize for Hibari's past actions. I got nothing against the country I'm living in.**

 **A big thanks to** _sousie, yanchoco, LightSin24, Meopize, PureInsanity39, PhantomCielo27, Caelum1427, Knight Yuuki, doremishine itsuko, DescendingSnow, LovEInsanity, Tetsuya Dragneel, D C JoKeR H S, Bibliophile Otaku, deelaNerth, makubex000, skyblue881, BlackSky83, Caelum1427, Wxin, croixisdaddy, silkie 19, Aira Aura, momocolady, TheSilverHunt3r, WeirdWisher, YokaiAngel, Sora Rider X, Bubblepop32, Free Scarlet_ **for reviewing!**


	14. You're Not Alone

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 **"The results shown that his internal organs were beginning to shut down at an alarming rate due to over straining body functions without stop." The doctor informed Reborn, flipping through the notes on his clipboard.**

 **"He's quite lucky to have lasted until we got to him, or he may be at a high risk of another coma - death even."**

 **"I see..." Reborn pulled his fedora down.**

 **"I suggest not letting him out until we made sure his system stabilizes completely, but even I am uncertain of how long that will be. His condition is one none of us have ever seen before, honestly, and therefore unpredictable." A sigh. "To think he was getting better as well..."**

.

.

.

Honestly, he didn't consider Tsuna's condition to be _this_ troublesome. And to think he's been like this since he was _born_.

"R-Reborn! Why did you -"

The Vongola Sky ring was smacked in his face. Reborn send a silent apology - but none too repentant - to the spirits that reside within the heirloom because he really, _really_ couldn't tolerate his student's complaints as to why he was called to the hospital.

Did the boy seriously not see the patient Reborn was sitting next to?

And his student had _slammed_ the door open and _yelled_ to boot.

Ienari caught the ring before it fall to the ground, face morphed into surprise then fear. "H-how did you -"

"You should know by now that I have my ways," Reborn cut in, beady black eyes glinting dangerously. It made the blonde flinched and take a step back in dread at what could be considered as a year's worth of torture.

"S-sorry..."

"I'm not the one you should apologize to."

"... huh?"

Reborn gave his student a look. "Are you _blind_?"

"Um... no -"

"Hey Nari..." Yamamoto, who was behind Ienari with Gokudera, finally noticed the person on the bed. "Isn't that your brother?"

Said blonde finally took in the person sleeping with an oxygen mask on, his eyes widening in the process. "W-WHA -"

 _Whack!_

Leon reverted back into a chameleon after Reborn hit Ienari on the head. "Shut up or you're going to wake him up."

"Why do we have to pay the idiot any mind?" Gokudera scoffed, crossing his arms. "It's his fault for being weak."

Reborn tilted his fedora down. He really was disappointed at the unity - or lack thereof. He had tried again and again to pound the lesson about family and cooperation into Ienari's head, but it _just wouldn't sink in._

And if the Sky doesn't understand, there was no way its elements would either.

 _At this rate, Vongola won't..._

"He's the one who took the trouble of finding your damn ring." Reborn gritted, his frustrations at its peak a while ago and barely under control as it was with all that was unknown coming into the equation as of late. And Reborn _hated_ the feeling of not knowing things when he should.

Ienari froze, Gokudera was indifferent, and Yamamoto was confused; however, none of them spoke a word as to _how_ Tsuna ended up like that while searching for the ring.

You would think that to be common sense.

Reborn refrained from a frustrated sigh and turned away. "Get out."

"Reborn, I -"

" **Out**." The hitman reiterated flatly, and to make sure he gets results, he pointed a gun - a real one - at them. "Baka-Nari, I'm sure you know what's coming for you for losing the ring, _right?_ "

Ienari mutely nodded in understanding and cautiously stepped out.

When the trio left at the impending threat, Reborn decided to make a call to Shamal. He knew, at least, Tsuna's problem may be more complicated than just a weak constitution.

 **"What's up, Re - "**

"Get your a** over to Namimori General Hospital. _Now_."

 **"... Alright."**

.

.

.

Since Shamal was stationed as the school doctor in Namimori High because of Ienari, it didn't take long for the freelance mafia doctor to reach said hospital.

"Reborn, why did you..." One look at the boy with the oxygen mask was enough for eccentric doctor to deadpan at the Sun Arcobaleno. "We been over this. I only treat females... and the Vongola brat because of you."

"Does it look like I care?" Reborn riposted back and cocked his black pistol at the man.

Shamal sighed, running a hand through his raven hair. "Who is this new brat then?"

"... Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Shamal opened his mouth for a snide remark, but paused when the surname registered. "... what?"

"My idiot student's twin brother."

"... The brat has a _twin_?"

Reborn gave Shamal a look that said the latter should just accept it because Reborn didn't want to waste his breath explaining.

Shamal sighed resignedly again, walking up to Reborn's side and gave the unconscious brunet a once over.

"They look nothing alike." He commented idly as he took Tsuna's wrist to check the pulse -

\- He dropped it back immediately, eyes widening in shock.

Reborn frowned, pulling his fedora down. "Even you can sense it right? The unstable flame fluctuation... my Sun Flames won't do anything to help with something like that."

"... Not only the fluctuation," Shamal turned grim. "His flames has been suppressed before... causing it to become even more unpredictable in nature. It could save him in one moment... or kill him in the next depending on the amount of control he has over them."

"..."

"That and from how weak he is already by just _looking_..." Shamal folded his arms across his chest. "I'm surprised he's still alive."

"... What can you do?" Reborn didn't know why he clenched his fists at the last remark.

Shamal scoffed and placed a hand in his pockets, playing the few tubes of medicine that he always keeps with him for safety cautions. "The best I can do now is to get him some pills infused with Rain and Sun Flames. Rain to settle down the fluctuation as much as possible and Sun to increase function activities of his body and prevent further deterioration. Even then, he has to makes sure to take them constantly."

"... He has Sky flames," He turned to the infant hitman, looking rather impressed. "I can only guess he managed to apply the Harmony effect of his flames to balance out his cells' activities all this time but... how is he still stabilizing himself when he's unconscious?"

Reborn deadpanned at the doctor. "Vongola Primo."

"... hah?"

* * *

Tsuna felt **_horrible_**. No fancy words were enough to describe just how _bad_ he felt the moment he opened his eyes and the ceiling light hit him - _wait, ceiling lights?_

"It's not even a full day yet but you're already up."

The familiar voice jotted the brunet up, but he regretted immediately because he felt vertigo happily starting its work to make his life even more miserable, and the world tilted.

"Goddammit." He muttered, clutching his head as the aftereffect of the major headache lingered. "Feels like a hangover and I don't even _get_ those."

Reborn watched, amused as the boy muttered to himself.

"Never. I will _never_ use that again unless it's really _absolutely_ necessary." Tsuna mumbled with a sigh. "God, I could've _died_."

He noticed his Intuition thrumming mischievously in the back of his head -

 ** _Click._**

\- and he turned.

He _stared_.

"... FUUUUUUU-"

 _Bang!_

Tsuna idly wondered if he should've chosen a better word to start with... or that he should've flinched at the bullet that almost grazed his cheek -

\- Oh to heck with it all!

The brunet wasn't feeling up to date because the world was _still_ spinning - and he just got up in the worst way possible.

So you can't really blame Tsuna when he screamed - "WHAT THE _HELL_ REBORN?!"

The infant raised a brow at how Tsuna had dropped the honorifics and... and he actually sounded _more_ familiar with Reborn than before. It was as though the boy went from polite and stiff to... _himself_ for the first time since they met _._

He filed it for later questioning, but for now, he wanted to mess with the brunet since the latter actually _dared_ to keep something - and a rather big and important one at that - from the World's Greatest Hitman.

"I was just testing your reflexes."

"Reflexes my a**. If I was any _slower_... " Tsuna grumbled, righting himself but then paused when his mind cleared.

He _remembered_.

And Tsuna did the only thing that he does when someone manages to piss him off... or that he messed up. Big time.

"... _sh**_."

"I didn't peg you to have a foul mouth."

Tsuna groaned, running a hand down his face.

"Okay, before you shoot -" Tsuna gave the infant a look when the latter was in a trigger-happy mood. "- how are the kids? Are they alright? Hurt anywhere? Do they remember anything? Wait, where are -"

 _He really does put others before himself huh._

"They're taking a nap back at their respective homes," Reborn interjected and pinned the brunet with a hard stare. "and I should be the one doing the asking."

"..." Tsuna returned the look with one of his own. The impromptu staring contest lasted for a few unnerving minutes, with neither speaking or moving a muscle.

 _Click._

"Explain _everything_." Reborn finally put it out bluntly, but not backing off from the staring contest... nor did he lower his gun if that click was anything to go by.

Tsuna's brow twitched for the shortest millisecond before he elicited a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose in resignation. He knew that the confrontation would come sooner or later - especially after that fiasco - though he couldn't help cursing Reborn's magical pet (the very same one being point at him at the moment) for triggering the final blow by making him his goddamn gloves at a goddamn bad time.

Granted, it was a situation where he _couldn't_ have done anything without his goddamn gloves.

"Let's get something straight first," The brunet started, his eyes never straying from Reborn's to show how serious he was. Reborn wasn't even surprised anymore when Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes glowed, but he was secretly quite startle at the aura that started leaking out from Tsuna.

He had only sensed it once, and that was when Tsuna had entirely snapped in the warehouse.

It made the air around them hot, and so taught that it almost suffocated Reborn if he hadn't had experience dealing with people that practically exude _power_ and _authority_. It wasn't a dangerous aura, Reborn noted a second later, but it demanded attention and the slightest hint of retaliation would not be appreciated.

It was those observations that led Reborn to recognize _what_ Tsuna had been keeping under a tight screw all this time. (And he was damn good at keeping it under control too.)

It was the aura of a mafia boss.

"I trust you." Tsuna put it bluntly, his voice deep and stern.

Reborn raised brow at that statement, it was filled with confidence and a certain conviction as if Tsuna trusted Reborn with his _life_. Willingly. It made the hitman all the more attentive. If Tsuna was placing so much faith in him, the least he could do was to return that trust with seriousness.

"But I am justified to expect you to think I am a madman during and after this talk," He's eyes flashed. "Sun Arcobaleno."

Reborn narrowed his eyes. _How did he know about the pacifiers?_ "What do you mean?"

"... The Sawada Tsunayoshi of this world died a few minutes before I replaced him that night a month or so ago," The brunette started his explanation all the while gauging the expression on the infant. "I am Sawada Tsunayoshi of a parallel world."

"... what." Reborn wore 'WTF' face for a split second before going back to neutral.

Tsuna nodded as if he had expected that response... though not the expression that flitted across Reborn's face that he caught due to many years of practice.

He was rather amused - silently _laughed_ even - before he sigh again and ran a hand through his messy hair, his shoulders sagging with the weight of the world. When he looked back at Reborn, the infant could see the experience and wisdom beyond his years finally being released from their gates.

"I'm not going to go through my entire life story - that would be way too long," Tsuna chuckled wryly. "I was sent to this parallel plane by my favorite great-great-great grandfather."

When silence was the response, Tsuna deemed that as a signal to continue. "In my original world, I was the only child of the Sawada family and the Tenth boss of Vongola Famiglia."

"... 'was.'" Reborn said flatly, immediately picking up minor - but important - detail.

"Yes." Tsuna smiled blandly. "Was."

"... what happened."

He closed his eyes with another sigh, face contorting into regret, guilt, and helplessness.

"War happened."

The hitman's eyes dilated ever-so slightly at the implications. "You mean..."

"Dead. All of them. Died protecting their Sky." Tsuna's laugh was almost hysterical as he looked down at his trembling hands as if he had been the murder. The hitman had never seen the boy look so _broken_. "My guardians, my family, _everything_. They're gone, Reborn, _gone_."

Reborn gripped his fedora tightly, obviously not liking how this turning out and that it was beyond his expectations. But he finally understood what Primo meant. The boy has, indeed, been through enough.

It was amazing that Tsuna was still standing tall and firm and living life as normal... or that was what it looked like on the outside. He was a mess inside, a broken child trying desperately - _aimlessly_ \- to piece back together a shattered reality. (Even if he managed to succeed, it will never be quite exactly the same as the one lost.)

"Who were your guardians?"

At this Tsuna smiled wistfully. "My brother's."

"..." Reborn tilted his fedora down and silence took rein of the room - that is, before Tsuna broke it again.

"Y'know," The brunet piped and Reborn found himself wondering where Tsuna could still get the enthusiasm from after spilling that. "I'm really glad to see them up and about and _breathing_."

He looked down, bangs hiding glazed sunset-orange orbs. "'They're _strangers_ ' is one of the many things that I have been telling myself. And they're going to be better off without being anywhere near me... because - because... they" - He balled his fists, teeth ground together tightly - "they _died._ Because they chose to protect a _useless Sky_."

 _Thwack!_

"Ow! What the -!"

"That face doesn't suit you." Reborn said, looking at Tsuna after whacking him with the one ton Leon-hammer. "It's their decision Tsuna. Your guardians chose you because of who you are and if they had ever regretted it, they would have left, but they didn't did they? Were they ever unhappy with their lives?"

Tsuna shook his head.

"Then they never regretted their choice of following you. Don't blame yourself over nothing, don't let _them_ sacrifice themselves just for you to mope around in another world. Be happy, Tsuna. Maybe if not for yourself, but for your family. No matter what."

.

.

.

 **"Quit moping around Dame-Tsuna. If you're not going to be happy for yourself, then be happy for your family. Honestly, you're as _pathetic_ as they come if you can't even do this."**

.

.

.

Tsuna blinked away the unshed tears and laughed softly. "I can't believe I forgot you saying something similar to me once."

"Oh?" Reborn raised a brow, indifferent face fighting the quirking smirk on his lips. "Am I safe to assume that I was your tutor?"

"Yup." The brunet grinned. "The sadistic spartan send to make my life a living hell."

"Sounds about right." Reborn hummed, then gave Tsuna a look. "And how dare you forget something that my parallel self told you."

"Gimme a break." Tsuna threw his hands up in defeat. "I have been in a roller coaster of emotions left and right this past month!"

"... And you have not said a _thing_." The hitman tutted. "I should really punish you for that."

" _Reborn!_ "

"... It's not good to keep things to yourself." Reborn noted the brunet's still shaking hands, the brunet must still be having trouble accepting things as it is it seems.

"..."

"You're not alone, Tsuna."

"..."

"Even a mafia boss, former or not, need to have their moments sometimes. They're not supposed to be perfect." _Though I expect no less than perfect._ Reborn added mentally.

"I..." Tsuna bit his quivering lips, tears threatening to fall from his eyes. "It's... it's just not _fair -_ " his voice had gone up an extra octave like that of a child _"-_ Why...? Why do you all have to - why am I still - just... and - and if _only_ I could -"

"You need to loosen up." Reborn reached for the shaking hands, and that was the final blow for the dam to break. He watched silently as the boy wept, finally understanding the strange connection - the instant trust - he had with the boy.

Tsuna was a great Sky in his world, and Reborn - even if it was of a parallel version - was the one who nurtured him from the ground up into the vast sky that he embodied.

That kind of connection was one difficult to severe no matter what, when, and where.

.

.

.

"So... you really do believe me?" Tsuna asked after a while, wiping away the remaining tears.

Reborn scoffed, absentmindedly cleaning his pistol as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Hard not too after seeing Vongola Primo himself."

"What?" Tsuna's eyes widened. "Da - da da da err... I - I mean Primo was here?!"

The hitman was amused and a bit surprised at the slip up. "I told you, you're not alone. But really, you? Vongola Decimo?"

A lazy smile started to stretch across his face as leaned against the bed-frame. The next few words were soft, but held no hesitation, only proud acceptance compared to when he had begun.

"Yup." Tsuna gave Reborn a smirk. "Some even called me Neo Vongola Primo."

"Oh?"

"Although," Tsuna smiled, a genuine one. "I have to give credit to my hell-spawn spartan home tutor for that."

"I see." Reborn allowed himself a smirk. "Your tutor did a fantastic job."

"Don't flatter yourself," Tsuna retorted good-naturedly. "Your parallel self gave me more hell than Ienari-kun have ever went through so far."

"Hm..." Reborn hopped off and for once, he allowed himself to _look up_ at the brunet. "Then I'll have to step it up a notch."

The brunet laughed. "Do keep this a secret from them, okay? I don't want them finding out and blaming me for upping your training regiment."

"Of course, you have my word."

The former mafia boss hesitated for a second, but stretched out his arms towards the father-figure in his previous life. "May I?"

Reborn sighed after a momentary pause and tipped the rim of his fedora up. "... only this once, Tsuna."

He grinned and enveloped the small hitman with a way overdue hug. "Thank you for being the mentor and _papà_ I never had."

That one sentence was not enough to convey his gratitude towards the Sun Arcobaleno, who was always there to guide him each and every step of the way, but the depth of its meaning was clearly there.

\- But Reborn just had to break the moment. "So I'm your _papà_ , Primo's your dad, then who's Iemitsu."

Tsuna chuckled rather darkly - more towards the sadistic side - at this.

"My _father,_ obviously _._ "

Reborn smirked. "Now _that_ look suits you."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. "You were there for half my of life, of course I have to pick up _something._ "

.

.

.

"Ah, You should also know that I am mentally twenty-six."

Reborn _twitched_. "You're _old."_

"Heh, says the pot calling the kettle black. Oh wait, you're _ancient -"_ _Thwack_ "- OW!"

"Who taught you to be a smartass?"

"Who else than the smartass himself?"

* * *

"... What are you doing?"

Tsuna gave Reborn a look as if it should be obvious. "Getting out of here."

"You're not well yet."

"Oh God," His blinked his sunset-orange eyes owlishly. "Reborn being _considerate_? The world must be -"

 _Bang!_

"- I was kidding, yeesh!" Tsuna raised his hands up in defense. He then pointed out of the hospital room window. "It's already night time! Kaa-san's going to - wait, does Kaa-san _know_ that I'm here?!"

"Of course not."

Tsuna sighed in relief. "Good, then let's go -"

 _Click._

A sigh. "Or not."

"You do this a lot, don't you." Reborn deadpanned, lowering the Leon-gun. The lizard reverted back and crawled onto Tsuna's hand.

"Heh, you have no idea." The brunet chuckled and smiled gently down at Leon as the latter tilt his head curiously up at him.

"I honestly don't understand why all of you have to insist on my resting for _days_ when I'm perfectly fine after a few _hours_ of it." Tsuna frowned - almost pouting - while deciding to pet Leon's head with his index finger. "There was that one time when my Mists have to use reinforced real illusions to chain me down because I could easily burn down _normal_ ones and my Rain and Storm had to keep a constant watch just to make sure I didn't escape."

"Your bond with your guardians sounds close." Reborn noted.

"Of course," He watched as Tsuna closed his eyes for a moment to reminisce fondly, and knew right there and then that the bond Tsuna had with his Family was tightly packed - unlike his student's. "We were all just one big - if not crazy - family... and I wouldn't trade it for the world."

"... You could always start over." Reborn suggested.

Leon returned back to his human partner as Tsuna looked over to the hitman. "... They're not the same people, Reborn."

" _I'm_ not the same."

"Eh... touché." Tsuna chuckled. "But at least you're... well, you're still a sadist."

Reborn scoffed but looked over to check on the boy. He noted that the brunet seemed more relaxed compared to before - and he didn't mean just now. Reborn always had sensed the tension that Tsuna tried to mask whenever he or Ienari's guardians were around.

He was loose now, unlike his forced politeness from before, and more than a bit open with his mind. And really, compared to Ienari, Tsuna actually had the guts to _joke_ with Reborn. (The boy really was just a bundle of amusement.)

"Ne, Reborn." Tsuna started, breaking the comforting silence. "How's Vongola?"

"..." His only response was the downward tilt of his fedora, but Tsuna effortlessly caught the hidden meaning.

"That bad?" The brunet murmured. "I didn't think Vongola would be falling."

"... Nono's health is deteriorating, he's bedridden as it is and his guardians aren't doing much better with enemies ambushing left and right." Reborn explained. "Other Famiglias, be it ally or enemy, see this as an opportunity to get the front row seats to see Vongola fall off its high horse."

Tsuna blinked at how Reborn had phrased the last part. "The way you sound makes me wonder if you're still on Vongola's side."

"My loyalty lies with the Ninth." Reborn rebutted.

"... Oh, so you're just pissed at being put on standby." Tsuna concluded with a nod, causing Reborn's mouth to twitch in amusement. "We'll have to do something then."

The Sun Arcobaleno raised a curious brow. "'We?'"

"Well..." Tsuna looked up at the ceiling with a tired smile. "I know I never did like the fact that I was forcefully dragged into the mafia business without my consent... but it gave me a Family that I will never regret having."

"... You can say I grew attached to Vongola because of it." The brunet continued with a soft chuckle. "Funny how I learned to care for something that I had blatantly refused to be part of for years in the beginning."

"But," Tsuna locked eyes with Reborn, sunset-orange eyes glowed a orange hue to show his resolve. "If _ever_ Vongola is to be led down the wrong path while I'm here, I will _personally_ write its ending chapter."

Beady eyes widened slightly when he saw the much conviction in those burning orange orbs. "... Are you saying you're going to fight for the title?"

Tsuna blinked, the glow gone in an instant, and laughed with a shake of his head. "No way, _this_ Vongola is not my responsibility. But... well, Primo and I are alike in the fact that we both care for Vongola - even if it's of a different world - despite what it has become. Mafia or not, the bond is there. What I'm trying to say is that I will lend a helping hand."

He straightened up and looked at Reborn dead in the eye. "From what I can see already, the lack of unity between Ienari and his family is _cringe-worthy_."

Reborn almost chuckled at the choice of adjectives. Almost.

"If the Sky and his guardians doesn't start placing more faith in each other..." Tsuna's eyes sharpened with an intense heat. "That is going to be the end of Vongola."

"... Does this mean you're going to join Ienari's Family?"

The brunet looked exasperated. "Do I have a choice now that you know my secret?"

"No." The response was almost automatic.

Instead of rolling his eyes, Tsuna allowed himself a chuckle, feeling nostalgic at the hitman never giving him a choice. "Then there's your answer."

Reborn smirked and extended a hand towards the taller boy. "Welcome to the Family then, Dame-Tsuna."

"Really?" Tsuna deadpanned. "Really Reborn?"

"It sounds _right_."

"Ugh... I'm Dame no matter what, when, and where."

"Exactly."

"... your input wasn't necessary. _At all._ "

"Meh. I still have a grudge against you for keeping secrets from me."

"..."

* * *

 **So... I'm not very good at the emotional stuff so yeah... All I'm trying to say is that Tsuna is coming into acceptance of his family's death and how they died - but that doesn't necessarily mean he won't still mourn for them. (Ad he'll probably still blame himself for a while longer.) He also learned that even in a different world, he won't always be alone like he initially thought.**

 **Yes, there's something totally wrong with their family dynamics. (Ienari and his guardians I mean) And Tsuna stated his position loud and clear in the matter regarding the matters of right to succession of Vongola.**

 **Thanks to** _Guest, Guest97, PureInsanity39, Bubblepop32, Chew Chew, doremishine itsuko, Little Ms. Pumpkin, sousie, LovEInsanity, Bibliophile Otaku, Knight Yuuki, D C JoKeR H S, makubex000, thor94, LightSin24, YokaiAngel, skyblue881_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading and thank you all for your support! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	15. A Morning

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"Um... Reborn?" Ienari was still a bit wary of the foul mood that Reborn was in when he kicked him and his friends out of the hospital earlier.

It was currently late at night and Ienari and his tutor was in Ienari's room.

"What is it, Baka-Nari?"

The blonde visibly relaxed at the monotone that he received. Reborn was like a bomb waiting to explode and Ienari was always on the receiving ends of the the troubles that Reborn cause when it happens - which was quite often considering the hitman was his tutor. (He swear, Reborn was constantly looking for opportunities to create more chaos just for the heck of it.)

"Uh, right," He straightened at the waiting stare he received from the infant. "S-something happened while the others and I were looking for the -" _Gulp_ "- ring that I lost."

"... and?"

Ienari blinked when Reborn haven't done anything to him yet. (It was rare to behold okay?)

"Oh you're still getting punished for losing it."

The blonde groaned in response that he wasn't going to get out unscathed and for Reborn reading his mind. _Again_.

 _Click._

Ienari stiffened at the gun being pointed at him.

"A boss must remain calm no matter what is thrown at him Baka-Nari," The gun morphed back to Leon as Reborn pushed up his fedora to look Ienari directly in the eye. "Or the enemies will be be given rein over him. You should know this already Baka-Nari."

"I do...!" Ienari argued back, but stopped when Reborn gave him a look.

"So, moving on."

"H-huh?"

"You were saying before this short exchange?" Reborn gave the blonde a long, hard stare that made Ienari squirm under the uncomfortable scrutiny.

"O-oh, right." He sighed, running a hand through his short blonde hair. "While we were looking for mine... Yamamoto and Gokudera's Vongola rings... glowed."

Reborn silently motioned for his student to go on.

"And, uh... I don't know," Ienari made a few hand gestures to make up for the lack of an explanation. "They were... changing shapes...?"

Reborn raised a brow, but his thoughts were brought back to a similar scene with the formerly lost Sky ring.

 **"Eh? It was changing appearances?"**

 **The hitman nodded and proceeded to describe what the Vongola Sky ring was trying to take the shape of.**

 **"Oh!" Tsuna hit his fist on his palm upon remembering that particular scene, then laughed off the concern Reborn had. "It's nothing bad, per se. The one you're trying to describe is what is known as the original form of the Vongola Sky ring."**

 **"... Original form?" Reborn hadn't heard anything about that. And throughout Vongola history that he had read, he never saw such design either.**

 **"Yeah. Currently, the Vongola rings are in their sealed forms, not their true forms." Tsuna explained, then frowned slightly. "The Sky ring probably reacted with my flames since - well, I _was_ the true successor of the Sky ring. I didn't think the vertical-time axis of this world would be affected by the presence of my flames though... and Primo's supposed to be the only one who can unseal the rings from their current state - with his guardians' approval of course."**

 **"Primo sealed the rings?" Reborn asked, curious. It wasn't everyday he got to hear information that no one - not even Vongola themselves - were privy to.**

 **"Yeah," Tsuna nodded. "He was afraid that Vongola will go down the wrong road when he and his guardians stepped down so as to prevent something bad - like someone taking advantage of the power given by the Trinisette - he put a cap of the rings' maximum flame output until the day the true successors of the rings come along."**

 **"... The rings aren't at their full strength..." Reborn mumbled, mentally acting this new, potentially beneficial, factor in his calculations.**

 **"Yup." The brunet then sighed, eyes distant. "Dad waited two centuries before he could see Vongola returning to its rightful path..."**

"... It's nothing, Baka-Nari." Reborn pulled his fedora down. If those were the true forms of the Vongola rings... then his student haven't gain Primo's acknowledgement like Tsuna had - though he wasn't surprised since even _he_ wasn't happy at the faults that Ienari refused to fix.

He really does need to step up his game. And the fact that there was more potential in the rings than he originally thought was adding fuel to his decision.

"Eh? But -"

"Nothing's wrong with the rings." The hitman interjected with finality, hopping onto his hammock to go to sleep. "Better rest up, because you're waking up early tomorrow for your punishment."

The subject was immediately changed when Ienari groaned again.

.

.

.

Ienari woke up at whoopin' _three_ in the morning by defibrillators. He screamed and promptly rolled out of bed onto the cold unforgiving floor, much to the music of Reborn's ears. (It was a wonder as to how Nana didn't wake up to the noise. I mean, Ienari had _screamed_ \- and loudly at that.)

The blonde groaned but stayed down, hoping he could pretend to be dead.

"Get up Baka-Nari," Reborn said, glee was detected in his voice. "We're going for a _light_ jog _through the mountain._ "

When Ienari didn't get up, Leon changed into a one-ton hammer and -

 _Whack!_

"OOOWWWWW!" Ienari sat up to nurse the bruise on his head, but then backed away when Reborn looked too ready for another hammer swing. "Alright, alright! I'm up!"

So for the morning, Ienari had to jog through Namimori, guided by Reborn - which meant scaling walls and running on the rooftops, going in circles for who-knows-how-many-times, crawling through the _sewers_ before he neared Namimori forest.

The mountain that he was supposed to run through was looming right behind the forest, and Ienari would have gulped in trepidation if he didn't come across -

"What the - what _happened_ here?!"

They were in a clearing - obviously not a natural one - where the ground was upturned and singed, trees uprooted, some as unrecognizable as charcoal, craters of various sized scattered around with the largest on at the center. (There were also sprouts of newly grown grass but that was barely noticeable.)

"It's like a war happened here!"

Reborn took one look and that was it. He had a pretty good idea how this place came to be, but he wasn't the least bit happy about it. ( _Someone's going to have some explaining to do_.) "Hurry up Baka-Nari. I want you done by the time Maman start making breakfast."

"Wha - that's only an an hour away!" Ienari complained. (They had spend a good three hours with the town under Reborn's guidance)

 _Thwack!_

Reborn kicked Ienari in the back, sending him tumbling down one of the near by craters. "Then better get going Baka-Nari."

He took one last look at the damage before following Ienari in his struggles.

.

.

.

Of course, when Reborn said a light jog through the mountain, it was anything but. Ienari had to take the longest, windiest, path there was while being chased by bears, wolves, snakes, lions, tigers - _animals_ that couldn't even be found in this part of the town. (Seriously, did Reborn rob a national zoo or something?!) And let's not forget about the traps that the hitman kindly set up.

So by the time Ienari made it up and down the mountain, he had been bit, scratched, stabbed, singed, and _tired_ from all the pandemonium that he went through.

"Ara?" Nana poked her head out of the kitchen when the boy mumbled a 'I'm home' when he was at the foyer. "Welcome back Na-kun~!"

Reborn tutted when he saw the time of Leon-watch. "Two minutes off, Baka-Nari. You're going to have to try harder next time."

Ienari didn't even respond to the a possibility of a 'next time' when all he could think of was to crash out in his bed. Albeit, since Reborn was here, he shouldn't even be entertaining the idea.

"Take a shower and go help maman cook."

Now _that_ got a response from the blonde. "... I can't cook, Reborn. You know that."

"You're going to have to learn to." There was sadistic gleam in the hitman's eye that had Ienari backing away as far as he could, his mind on full alert of what Reborn could possibly do.

"R-Reborn..." The blonde gulped. "Y-you not going to..."

"Going to what~?" The sing-a-long was enough for Ienari to bolt up the stairs and lock himself in the bathroom. That didn't deter Reborn from getting what he wants though.

"Five minutes Baka-Nari," The hitman smirked. "Or I _will_ kick down that door and shoot the Dying Will bullet, and I can guarantee to you right now that you won't be in your boxers like all the other times."

Then came a high pitched scream that Ienari will never admit it came from his mouth.

For the latter part of the morning, there was a bang, a scream of "I WILL HELP MAKE BREAKFAST WITH MY DYING WILL!" and a happy squeal of "Na-kun is so helpful today!"

Reborn sighed in satisfaction as he drank his freshly brewed espresso. Now he just need to pay a check-in with Shamal at school.

Fun.

(That along spoke of what Reborn would be up to if the doctor was being even the slightest bit uncooperative.)

* * *

 **The shortest chapter so far (minus the first, which was pretty much the prologue now that I think about it). This is more or less a filler (again) but... well, there are a few things that I wanted to put in and it didn't fit well with the next chapter I'm writing so I cut it off and it turned into this... Sorry!**

 **Just a look into what Reborn and Ienari does on a daily basis.**

 **Thanks to** _Loner Kid, , Guest(3), Guest(2), Guest(1), AnimexXxLuvver, Leila, PureInsanity39, Akane Shinigami, AwesomeName, I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, twilightserius, Bubblepop32, PhantomCielo27, OtakuLife121, Sora Rider X, Chew Chew, azalealady, TheBlueMenance, Jaiyere, DiamondGoddess, silvermoon170, LovEInsanity, skyblue881, thor94, Little Ms. Pumpkin, aiwataru1, deelaNerth, setsuna koori, YokaiAngel, , Owlstar7, sousie, D C JoKeR H S, peluche kawai_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	16. The Trinisette Siblings

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

A white haired male hummed happily as he and three others left the airport. "I can't wait to see Tsu-chan!"

"Honestly, you two." One of the two adults, a woman, sighed exasperatedly. "Must we come over right after _that_?"

.

.

.

 **The three of them watched as the Sky Pacifier, currently in the possession of the Ninth Giglio Nero don, glow a bright orange.**

 **"H~eh ~" The white haired male smirked, his violet eyes shinning with a certain light at the resonance that washed over him, tugging the strings of his core.**

 **"Byakuran," A girl around the male's age spoke, opening her eyes from the similar sensation that the boy felt, her voice carrying a hint of nostalgia that she couldn't tell the origin of. "Is it... is it the person you told us about? The one that mom and I saw in our vision?"**

 **The Sky Mare grinned, rocking back and forth in his seat. "Yup~!"**

 **"This could only mean that he already arrived." The current holder of the Sky Pacifier, Aria, mused. She looked at the two excited kids in the room with her, smiling. "I would very much like to meet him."**

 **"Me too!"**

 **"Hehe~" The white haired male grinned, lolling his head to the side. "Let's go to Japan~!"**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Of course, Aria!" Byakuran said resolutely, though it only looked like a child's excitement in the process of buying a new toy. "It's a must!"

"Boss..." The blonde man besides Aria twitched a brow. "May I ask _why_ we have to drop _everything_ to come to Japan just because of this... this child's demands?"

Aria giggled. "Just come along, Gamma. We're visiting someone really special to Yuni and Byakuran."

"Special?" Gamma raised a skeptical brow.

"Yes," The Giglio Nero don looked at the clear sky ruefully while playing with the pacifier around her neck. "Someone who can change the path of this world."

"We're going this way!" Byakuran pointed in a rather random direction, irking Gamma even more.

"You have never even _been_ here before! And we do have a ride, y'know!"

"E~h... but exercising is fun! Right, Yuni-chan?"

"W-well..." Yuni smiled awkwardly, torn between siding with Gamma or Byakuran. One was like an uncle while the other was her best friend... a really - _really_ \- difficult choice right there.

"... Mooooommm!" And she couldn't take the pressure anymore.

"Alright, alright." Aria giggled as Yuni decided to latch onto her leg. "How about this. We take the car until we reach Namimori, _then_ we can walk from there."

"... fiiiine." Byakuran pouted.

Gamma nodded, satisfied.

* * *

Tsuna ended up staying at the hospital overnight with Reborn coming up with an excuse of him staying at a friend's house so Nana wouldn't worry about him.

But he really wasn't the type to just lie around doing nothing when he could be doing _something_. (He blame his family for always having something for him to do, be it paperwork, meetings, missions, settling arguments between his guardians, etc.)

... And he was _bored_.

"That's it, I'm getting out of here no matter what Reborn says." Tsuna decided as he swing his legs over the bed. But instead of going towards the door, he went and opened the window... as if that was the most logical choice of exits. (Well... being around a family of unconventional people for half his life does have _some_ effects.)

However, the moment he pried the latches open, he saw a shiny dot in distance, followed by -

"TSSSSUUUUUUUUU -"

\- He promptly shut the window and walked back to bed. He decided that, maybe, he still need to rest after all if he was hallucinating.

 _Crack, shatter!_

 _... nopenopenopenope! It's just a hallucination._ _It's just a hallucination._ _It's just a hallucination._ Was Tsuna's mantra as he pulled the blanket over his head like a child trying to hide away from the boogie monster in the middle of the night.

Of course, it didn't help. Not when it wasn't an hallucination.

"TSU-CHAAANNN~!"

 _Oh god._ Tsuna was _horrified_.

"We're here to visit you~!" said a very Byakuran-like voice and the thinly veiled piece of protection he had against reality was pulled away from him.

"Wakey wakey Tsu-chan~!"

Sunset-orange met with violet, the former blinking.

 **"Byakuran..." The Vongola Decimo scowled. "What ever happened to 'Tsunayoshi?'"**

 **The white haired male chuckled, currently hovering in Tsuna's office for no apparent reason. Like usual. "What? You don't like 'Tsu-chan'?"**

 **"... what do you think?"**

 **"Eh~ I think it's cute~!"**

 ** _Thunk._**

 **"You're going to get brain damage if you keep banging your head on your desk like that~"**

 **"... I AM NOT CUTE!"**

 **"See?" Byakuran plopped another marshmallow in his mouth, ignoring the presence of a growing killing intent in the room. "Your reactions are cute!"**

Tsuna slapped both of his hands on Byakuran's cheeks and _pulled_. "It's ' _Tsunayoshi_ ' to you, Byakuran!"

"Chehe... chu remschmere 'bouch zhat!" ("Hehe... you remembered about that!") Then the white haired male pulled a bag of marshmallows out of nowhere as an offering. "Want one?"

Tsuna gave Byakuran an evil eye and snatched the bag of teeth-rotting snack away. He ripped opened the back and plopped a white fluff ball into his mouth before deadpanning at the still grinning... child.

"... How _old_ are you?"

"I'm turning ten this year!"

.

.

.

Tsuna threw the whole bag at the boy's face. It didn't do much damage but it made him feel better. (Because a kid Byakuran plus marshmallows equal a sugar-high prone brat with the ability to see through parallel worlds and that was just... just _no_.)

"What the heck is wrong with this world?!"

"Yuni-chan's my age too!" Byakuran piped, then glanced at the door. "And she should be here right... about..."

The door was knocked on before opening gently with a creak.

"Now."

"Byakuran!" A young Yuni came in, followed two adults. "Thank goodness you haven't kidnap Tsuna-san!"

 **"So..." Tsuna deadpanned. "Why did we get kidnapped... again?"**

 **Yuni giggled, swinging her legs up and down in the water of the lake they were next to. "Byakuran thought we need more bonding time as the Trinisette Siblings!"**

 **Tsuna still didn't know how Byakuran even came up with that name for their little group.**

 **"That doesn't mean he should kidnapped us - I still have paperwork left unsigned!" Tsuna groaned. "And I was almost finished too when Byakuran just _had_ to break the window! That's more to my load y'know!"**

 **"Sawda - um... I mean Tsuna-san - sorry," Yuni apologized sheepishly. "It's hard to switch when I'm so used to calling you by your surname."**

 **"It takes time," Tsuna chuckled and ruffle the girl's hair fondly. "Now, where's that marshmallow-addict? He's left us for half an hour."**

 **"Tsu-chan~! Yuni-chan~!" In came flying the Sky Mare holding a handful of marshmallow bags. Tsuna and Yuni have very different responses, one scowling while the other beaming.**

 **" _Not_ my name!"**

 **"Where did you go, Byakuran?"**

 **"I got marshmallows!"**

 **Tsuna raised a brow. "And your point?"**

 **"We're going camping!"**

 **"..."**

 **"Oh, that sounds fun! Where are we going to camp?"**

 **Byakuran threw _confetti_ out of nowhere and directed a hand towards that one mountain close by with the neon signs of danger looming -**

 **"On Death Mountain!"**

 **"... Byakuran."**

 **Said man hummed, oblivious to the darkening aura of a certain Vongola Sky. "Yes, Tsu-chan?"**

 **"I'm burning _all_ the marshmallows you own in that space-dimension pocket of yours after this."**

 **"EEEEEHHHHHH?!"**

Tsuna blinked. It was _waaaaay_ too early this.

"But I didn't!" Byakuran snatched Tsuna's hand and held it up as if to show off to the rest of the world what an awesome toy he has. "See? He's right here, right where I found him!"

"Tsunayoshi-kun." Aria greeted with a gentle smile. "It's nice to finally meet you."

"You're the brat that they wanted to see?" Gamma frowned, looking quite skeptical.

"... um... r-right." Tsuna's smile was a tad bit strain, but it was hidden quickly.

"Are you okay Tsuna-san?" Yuni asked, picking up on the brunet's mood in an instant as if this wasn't the first time they have meet.

Byakuran gasped dramatically. "Are you sick Tsu-chan?! You shouldn't be up if your sick! You're in a hospital too!"

Tsuna sighed, shoulders sagging, but a smile formed on his lips at the concerns. "I'm fine."

Byakuran thought for a moment before the fox-like grin appeared on his face again. "I think Tsu-chan needs a hug~!"

"What - no, I -"

"GROUP HUG~!"

"GAH!" Tsuna was promptly glomped by an overenthusiastic marshmallow addict.

"I think Byakuran's right," Yuni giggled, following suit, though at a more sedate pace. "Don't say you're fine when you're not, Tsuna-san."

(Aria had discreetly pulled Gamma out to give the trio privacy at this point.)

The brunet blinked owlishly before chuckling and returning grateful hugs to the two kids. "You're right. Sorry. But it's just... well, _you know_ and I just..."

"Of course!" Byakuran pipped. "Us three will always be the Trinisette Siblings!"

"Okay, seriously, where did you even come up with that?"

"Isn't it obvious Tsuna-san?" Yuni giggled. "We're the Trinisette Skies and always will be there to support each other. Just like siblings."

"But..."

"Even if you're not one in this world, you're not alone either. We're here right now, aren't we?"

Tsuna paused, his head bowed before lifting it and suddenly chuckling softly. He ruffled both kids' head with fondness that pertained to that of an elder brother to his younger siblings. "...You're right. I have been stupid to think that way for a while now."

He then set both kids on the plain white bed and sat in front of them. "Okay, so, I know Byakuran has his parallel visions and all those cheats -"

"Hey! They're my _awesome_ superpowers!"

He was ignored. "- But how did you know about me, Yuni?"

"You forgot about my clairvoyance." Yuni reminded, to which Tsuna faceplamed and muttering something close to 'I really am idiot'. "I saw you in one of my visions - mom too - and when Byakuran heard about it, he spend the day telling us all about you. Then when I actually met you today..."

She closed her eyes in a serene smile. "I felt a connection. A really warm, and welcoming embrace from a fellow Sky."

"Oh..."

Yuni then looked apologetic. "I wish I could help Tsuna-san..."

The brunet blinked, then smiled. "It's okay, really. It can't be helped if I'm separated from everyone, and besides, I realized that I'm not alone."

Byakuran nodded vigorously in agreement. "That's right! Tsu-chan has us!"

Tsuna sighed contentedly and brought the two into a tight hug again.

"... I _really_ missed you guys." He said almost too softly, but they heard. Yuni and Byakuran grinned, sensing their Sky Flames connecting with a telltale _click_ with Tsuna's, bring harmony to where they felt had been missing.

They were the siblings of the Sky after all.

* * *

"... The pacifier responded to the Vongola Sky ring?" Tsuna stared at the orange pacifier for a second before bringing his attention back to Aria.

"Mm," She nodded. "That's how we knew you arrived to this world. You activated your flames within near proximity of the Vongola Sky ring, causing it to respond to the purity of your Sky flames due to you being a holder in another plane."

"He's not _just_ a holder," Byakuran piped. "He's _the_ successor _."_

"Was." Tsuna corrected. " _Was_ a holder. _Was_ a successor."

Aria smiled sadly. "Tsunayoshi -"

"Tsuna." The boy interjected and made a face. "Honestly, my name is a mouthful so Tsuna is fine."

"Tsuna-kun then." The Giglio Nero don chuckled. "You shouldn't talk like that. You're _here_ , right now."

"... I know." Tsuna fidgeted, glancing around the room for something interesting to stare at than the reprimanding pairs of eyes. "I'm still working on it."

His sunset-orange eyes landed on the _empty hands_ on the Sky Mare. "Byakuran... where's your ring?"

"Eh?" Said boy looked at his hands, then grinned back at Tsuna as if it wasn't anything special. "I lost it!"

"..." Tsuna refrained himself from murdering the boy. ( _Calm down Tsuna, he doesn't know any better. He's just a kid. Byakuran... is just a kid. Just... a mother-effin'... **kid.**_ )

"Haha, don't worry!" Byakuran waved it off. "It'll come back sooner or later, ne?"

"... You better _hope_ so or, God help me, I _will_ burn away all of your marshmallows."

The marshmallow addict gasped in horror and ran to hide behind Yuni. "Waaah! Tsu-chan is being meeean!"

"Don't worry Byakuran," Yuni assured. "Tsuna-san won't do that and I'll help you look when we get back!"

Tsuna huffed at the white haired boy's antics but smiled fondly. He then looked at the Sky pacifier in Aria's possession, a small frown marring his face. "We should really get rid of that accursed thing."

The woman blinked owlishly at his offhanded comment. Even though she had the ability of clairvoyance, she wasn't all-knowing. Actually, her visions were vague at most. "You mean..."

"I do," Tsuna held Aria's gaze to confirm that he was serious. "But I will need to get in touch with Talbot for that. He's _somewhere_ in Italy and - well... I'm kinda... stuck here since I'm supposed to be a 'normal' teen. Vongola doesn't even know I'm _alive,_ actually, and with their current state, they're not going to go around trusting a teenager."

The brunet made a face. "Then there's the Vindice and Uncle Kawahira..."

Aria laughed, light and filled with hope. "You really are the Sky who bring carve us all a new path."

"Ah?" Tsuna blushed at that, embarrassed. "I-I'm just doing what anyone would do, is all. And..." He looked from Yuni to Aria. "... I wouldn't want you and Yuni to part too soon."

"We still have time Tsuna-kun," Aria assured, ruffled the other's head. "But thank you. Really. It's not enough to express just _how_ grateful I - _we_ are."

"Again, I'm just doing what anyone would do," Tsuna reddened once more. "Especially when it's for family."

Aria beamed even more at his modesty. "Not everyone can do what you can Tsuna-kun, but you should take care of yourself first."

The woman leaned down and examined the brunet closely, a frowning starting to mar her face. "You really aren't in a state to do anything."

"But I'm _fine_ -" A bag of marshmallows was thrown in his face by yours truly. "- Byakuran!"

"You shouldn't say that Tsu-chan~"

"I'm older than you so you can't tell me what to do!"

"Bleh~"

"You can always ask us for help, Tsuna-san," Yuni offered but the brunet just shook his head.

"I don't want to drag you guys into Vongola's problems. Besides... you're of... neutral party?" At the nods of confirmation, he continued. "So yeah, I wouldn't want your famiglias to make more enemies when you don't have to."

"Then I declare myself Tsu-chan's ally!"

Tsuna gave Byakuran a _look_. "How old are you again?"

"Nine!"

"Yeah, no."

Byakuran looked mortified at the rejection and on the brink of tears, but Tsuna stuffed a handful of marshmallows in the boy's mouth to prevent another round of drama.

"Okay, so," Ignoring what had just occurred, he turned back to Aria. "Since you're here... can you get me out of the hospital?"

Aria raised a brow.

"There's nothing to do here!"

"..."

"Pleeeease?"

And then the Sky pacifier glowed.

"Oh crap, Reborn's here!" Tsuna dived for the blankets. And for no apparent reason, so did Byakuran... who also dragged Yuni along too.

.

.

.

Reborn stared.

"Uwaaahh~! We were found!"

Yuni giggled, not minding that she was entangled somewhere in what was known as an indescribable mess. "Hi Uncle Reborn!"

"Not. One. Word." Tsuna glared at the hitman when the latter was about to make a snide remark.

"Your pathetic display is quite entertaining." Reborn was going to make one anyways.

Tsuna groaned and tried to get himself untangle from the mess they made when trying to hide under a blanket.

It was a long and tedious process that involved an upturned bed, marshmallows, and... a few medical equipment.

* * *

 **And here comes kid Byakuran and Yuni! (Hey, parallel world. We gotta start seeing some huge deviations sooner or later.) And then a slight talk about lifting the curse, but Tsuna doesn't have the necessary things on the list to even start convincing the skeptical people.**

 **See? Tsuna's days are looking brighter and brighter lol.**

 **Thanks to** Chi-chan, RyuuenXKai, The Cold and Lonely One, cocoa2795, Nashi, kyothefallenkit, LovEInsanity, D C JoKeR H S, , Niknok19, Knight Yuuki, thor94, aiwataru1, TheSilverHunt3r, DiamondGoddess, Little Ms. Pumpkin, YokaiAngel **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	17. Gao!

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"Oh, Tsu-chan~! Happy late birthday!"

Remember when Tsuna said he would burn all of Byakuran's marshmallows? Well, he took it back.

"What the..." He stared at the _familiar_ ring chained to another, then looked back to the Mare boy.

Byakuran grinned happily, his hands outstretched and cupping around _Tsuna's_ Ring of the Sky _Version X_. "It popped out of nowhere right after the Skies of the Trinisette resonated with each other!"

"..." Tsuna shakily took the accessory from the boy, holding it in his own as if it was the most previous, most fragile thing he has ever seen. Tears could also be seen to accumulate around his eyes - but who could blame him?

Reborn had been watching the entire exchange from Aria shoulder. The ring was a two-piece set. The main ring, has an X in the middle with the words "Vongola Famiglia" written on it, with a lion's head at the end of the ring. There was a chain that connects it to the smaller ring that look to fit only the pinky.

It was faint, but Reborn could definitely sense the Sky attribute permeating the accessory. He came to two conclusions; it was either a custom-made Sky Ring for Tsuna or... the Vongola Sky ring. (He would later learn that it's both.)

Tsuna sighed shakily and cupped the two-piece set against his forehead. "Natsu..."

" _Gao!_ "

Light escaped through Tsuna's fingers and when he open it, the lion emblem on the ring _broke off_ in a ball of light. It landed in from of Tsuna and... and took the form of a small lion cub with pure _Sky flames_ as its mane and wearing some sort of headgear.

Tsuna stared at the all-too familiar lion cub with longing and fondness, a sense of being a whole again flow through him as an identical Sky flame signature to his own joined his in a harmonious click as it had happened with Yuni and Byakuran.

The Sky lion had been with him for half of his life after all, joining into battles - dangerous or not - when he was called for it and never letting Tsuna down by doing his best. Therefore, Natsu had long since been a part of Tsuna just as his guardians' box animals had been a part of theirs.

Reborn refrained from reacting by pulling out his gun, because no one seemed to be the least bit tensed that an unknown had appeared out of thin air. And when he saw similar tears at the corners of the Sky lion's eyes, he unknowingly relaxed.

"Gao!" The cub chirped happily and jumped into Tsuna's waiting arms. Right off the bat, it started to nuzzle and lick Tsuna's cheek, tail swishing in happiness.

The brunet chuckled, holding the lion tighter. "Natsu... you're here... you're really here..."

"Gao gao gao!"

"Right, right, you're my partner," Tsuna responded, quite fluent in the... 'gao' speech of the lion cub. "I missed you Natsu."

"Gao..."

Tsuna turned to give Byakuran a grateful smile. "Thank you Byakuran, really, _thank you so goddamn much_."

The other smiled, resting his chin in his arms as he leaned on the side of the bed that Tsuna was forced to crawl back on. "Hehe, you can thank me by making your yummy marshmallow and strawberry cake!"

Tsuna blinked, then laughed. He remembered experimenting on making different kinds of desserts (He can cook because Reborn had said that a mafia boss should be the jack of all trades and master of all - he just wanted Tsuna to make a damn good espresso for him everyday) when he had created said cake. Byakuran managed to steal a slice and had frequent the Vongola mansion to ask (read: beg) Tsuna to make him one.

"Alright, but we would have to go back to my house first." He gave Reborn a look.

The hitman refrained from rolling his eyes and tossed two bottles towards the brunet, which the latter caught with relative ease. "Those are your medicine, take a pill of each once a day and before you use your flames."

Tsuna examined the bottles, one blue and the other yellow. He could discreetly detect the Rain and Sun attributes from them.

" _Shamal_ made these that quickly?" He was quite skeptical when Reborn had told him the night before that Shamal would be making medicine for him. Why wouldn't he when he knew that the doctor was... well, the last Tsuna checked, he was a _guy -_ and if anyone says otherwise, they will wish they were dead when Tsuna was done with them _._ "It's only been a day..."

"Yes." was the reply but the brunet knew there was more.

"... he was making these with you threatening him at gunpoint, wasn't he." Tsuna deadpanned more than asked.

"Meh."

The brunet sweatdropped but knew that that was a confirmation, then sigh. "I don't know why you insist on it. I was doing fine with the help of my flames."

"Tsuna," Reborn gave the boy a look. "Constantly controlling your flames put a toll on both your body and mind, and you will get more exhausted if you continuously produce them like _breathing air._ "

"Uncle Reborn is right," Yuni pushed. "when we came, I can already sense the toll taking its effect."

"But it's all gone because we helped~!" Bykauran piped. "Skies' harmonization for the win!"

"Gao~!" Natsu made his own little input from his perch on Tsuna's shoulder.

"See?" Byaurakn gestured to the Sky lion cub. "Even Natsu will help from now on! With him around, Tsu-chan don't have to worry anymore!"

"..." Tsuna looked from one face to another, heart warming up at the shower of care that they were giving him. He smiled helpless, "Fine, you win. But I'll take the pills, I don't want Natsu to exhaust himself because of me."

"Gao gao!"

"But _I_ mind _._ " Tsuna rebutted and pet the cub on the head affectionately. "Having you around is already making me better as it is."

He then put on a hopeful look, "Does this mean I can leave this place now?"

Aria laughed softly. "You really don't like the hospital do you, Tsuna-kun?"

"I'm grateful that they exist," Tsuna answered, then made a face. "But I don't like sitting around doing nothing like this when I could use the time doing _something productive_."

He paused before adding in a deadpan, "But not paperwork. Anything but that."

Reborn cleared his throat the mask the chuckle that was about to escape. "Fine, I'll get the hospital to release you today."

"Finally!"

"... you really want to die early, don't you?"

.

.

.

"How long are you guys staying in Japan?" Tsuna asked in the car, absentmindedly fiddling with the two-piece ring set that was on on his middle and pinky. Aria had kindly offered to take Tsuna and Reborn back to the Sawada residence after everything was explained to Reborn. (Tsuna definitely didn't want to repeat that long and tedious process again.)

"Mm... not long, I'm afraid," Aria answered helplessly. I don't think it wise to leave Byakuran's guardians alone with only the workers back at the mansion and I still have unattended matters that need my attention back in Italy. The little ones decided they couldn't wait to see you so we came today."

Tsuna felt guilty at the answer. "Oh... uh... I'm really sorry about that."

"You better be," Gamma grumbled from the driver's seat. "The little Mare brat postponed one of the Boss's meetings to come here."

"Gamma." Aria reprimanded with a look.

"No, it _is_ his fault," Tsuna interject, sending a scathing - but playful - frown at the culprit. "You need to learn the meaning of patience Byakuran. And really? You ditched your guardians _again?_ "

The other pouted. "But Tsu-chaaaa - mwn...!"

Tsuna decided to pull the kid's cheeks again, a little irked. "It's ' _Tsunayoshi_ ' to you, Bya~kur~an."

He then promptly dropped it and returned to leaning against his window seat. "Or Tsuna, but I know you'll never listen to me."

"Hehe," Byakuran grinned cheekily, then his eyes lit up as if he just came up with the best idea in the world. "Tsu-chan, call me Shiro!"

"..." Tsuna deadpanned at the Sky Mare as if asking 'are you f***ing kidding me?' Byakuran just gave him a imploring look.

"No."

Before more whining could come from the boy, Tsuna added testily, "Your cake is on the line here."

Byakuran gasped dramatically and shut up for the rest of the ride home.

 _He knows how to deal with people well._ Reborn mused as he watched the brief exchange in amusement.

.

.

.

"Kaa-san, I'm home." Tsuna called throughout the house. "And we have guests."

"Tsu-kun, welcome back!" Nana came from the living room with a beaming smile. "Ara? Are these the friends you were staying with last night?"

"... yeah." Tsuna merely answered, going with the flow.

"Hello," Aria stepped up to introduce herself with a polite bow. "I'm Aria, the man next to me is Gamma, and the kids are Yuni and Byakuran. I hope we aren't intruding."

"Oh no, not at all!" Nana gestured for them to come in. "You're Tsu-kun's friends and it's more lively to have more people in the house!"

"Hi Tsu-chan's mom!" Byakuran decided to greet with a raise of his hand.

"Thank you for having us Sawada-san." Yuni dipped her head politely, following after her friend's greeting.

Nana's reaction was immediate. She squealed at the sight of the two adorable kids and pulled them into a bear hug. She beamed towards Aria and Gamma, "You two have adorable children!"

"E-eh?" Pink dusted Aria's cheeks while Gamma just turned tomato red at Nana's assumption. "N-No, we - um... we're not what you think..."

Tsuna snickered and casually walked away, but not before tossing out a flippant comment. "Kaa-san, they're still at the dating stage~"

The pair turned even more red.

"T-Tsuna-kun...! We're not even -"

"Ara?" Nana smiled at them. "You two are still dating? I hope I can hear the church bells soon then~!"

"... Boss, I think I'll patrol outside." Gamma had the back of his hand against his lower face and immediately stepped outside without waiting for a response.

Aria just sighed with slumped shoulders in defeat.

Reborn had an amused brow raised through all of this while sitting of Tsuna's head. "You're really showing your true colors."

"What are you talking about?" Tsuna feigned ignorance. "I'm just being me."

"Uh-huh."

The brunet paused and looked up. "Like you once said, 'Nothing should be able to keep a boss down for long'."

Reborn smirked. "Of course."

Tsuna chuckled. "But I guess I still have a long way to go since you had to snap me out of it."

"You're still Dame-Tsuna after all."

"... Whatever."

 _Whack!_

"... Ow."

"I think you need a lesson on proper attitude, Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna muttered something along the lines of 'sadistic Satan-spawn.'

.

.

.

"Uwaaaahh~ cake!" Byakuran was the first to attack Tsuna when the latter had brought said dessert towards the dinning table. (Nana immediately went grocery shopping after persuading Aria and the others to stay for a late lunch so she was currently absent from the house. However, she does know that Tsuna could cook, which she associated to him helping out in the kitchen for the past month.)

Tsuna side-stepped the attack and placed the cake on the table. "You guys better get a slice before Byakuran hogs it all."

"Gao!" Natsu chimed in an agreement. He had asked to came out right after Nana left and stayed on Tsuna's shoulder, not wanting to stray from his master now that they were together again. Tsuna didn't mind, he was actually thankful for the lion cub's presence. (Natsu had also been a good little helper in the kitchen by getting whatever ingredients Tsuna asked for.)

"How mean! I know how to share, Tsu-chan!"

The brunet paid the boy no mind as he scratched Natsu under the chin and went back to the kitchen to get a mug of steaming hot espresso that he prepared.

Reborn raised a brow when it was placed in front of him.

"Drink up."

The hitman looked briefly at Tsuna, then at the coffee, before taking a cautious sip. His other brow raised afterwards in pleasant surprise.

"Not bad."

Tsuna grinned.

"It's barely enough if it's a peace offering, but not for a bribe."

Tsuna faltered and clicked his tongue at the failed attempt. He had _hoped_ that brewing the espresso from a recipe especially designed to suite Reborn's taste would get him out of whatever the infant would be planning for him later on. (It was _Reborn;_ therefore, Tsuna _knew_ there was going to be something.)

"Of course I have something in mind."

"Reborn, stop being an a**." Tsuna scowled, sitting down on the opposite side of the infant and between Yuni and Byakuran while the rest was mesmerized by the cake Tsuna made. He knew that Reborn doesn't read minds but his ability to pick up even the minuscule of muscle movement was enough to con anyone into thinking he could. The best Tsuna could do - previously before the truth was spilled- to prevent Reborn from accurately guessing what was on his mind was to refrain from showing the thoughts he didn't want revealed on his face. (And it took a _lot_ of time and training in the other world to perfect that.)

"You can't stop me." Reborn took another sip. "I plan on having you train with Baka-Nari and the others."

Tsuna was appalled. "I have a weak constitution!"

"Not a valid excuse."

"Wha -!"

"Your daily jogs are not enough to rebuilt what you once had in the other world." Reborn reasoned.

Upon listening, Tsuna thought back to his supposed 'daily jogs'.

.

.

.

 **"Crap crapcrapcrap!" Tsuna screamed when he placed his hand on an unstable ledge, which caused him his fall into -**

 _ **Splash!**_

 **\- into the river.**

 **"Gah!" Tsuna struggled to stay above the water torrent as it carried him away from his original point. "NOOOO!"**

 **As much as he tried to swim towards the shore, his body has yet to respond correctly to his every command so -**

 **"Oh what the - I FORGOT THERE WAS A WATERFALL!"**

 **Bright flames burst into life as Tsuna entered Hyper Dying Will mode. Halfway through his fall to his doom, Tsuna applied more flames than he should in his propulsion that he ended up _hurling_ into a tree... setting it on fire because he couldn't quite grasp his flames characteristics yet.**

 **It didn't burn him but Tsuna did take another fall when the tree branch he was holding onto couldn't carry his weight.**

 ** _Thud!_**

 **"Okay, ow..." Tsuna mumbled and stared at the now burning tree. He stretched out a hand and willed the flames to come back to him. But when he tried to disperse them -**

 ** _Wheeze, cough!_**

 **Tsuna pressed a hand against his chest while the other against the ground to support himself. Apparently, he had gone a _little_ overboard in his control, tipping that internal balance of his.**

 **Weakly, he disperse the flames he retrieved and focused on rerouting his Sky Flames back to built a Harmony once more. The thrumming of another, an ancient, presence at work also told him that the pocket watch was aiding him as well.**

 **"Okay..." Tsuna seemed to have trouble staying awake. "Maybe... I should... work on... swimming..."**

 ** _Thud..._**

 ** _And all fade into darkness._**

 **...**

 **Tsuna should honestly rethink on the idea of swimming in the ocean because -**

 **"... Where the heck am I?"**

 **\- he was lost.**

 **(Namimori was nowhere near the ocean, so Tsuna had to take the train to the nearest seashore city - which might take a chunk out of his pocket money if he continued to use this type of transportation. He would fly but... he didn't know how long it will take so he wasn't going to risk staying in the air too long that it would tamper with the Harmony that balanced the cell activities of his body.)**

 **Wherever he looked, there was only seawater and - was that the fin of a shark coming his way? Or was it a dolphin?**

 **Tsuna dipped his head down and saw that it was, unfortunately, a shark. A rather big one at that.**

 **"Dammit." And Tsuna started to swim like his life depended on it. Literally.**

 **He thought that maybe he could give the shark a beating so that it wouldn't chase him anymore. He had been ready to punch the sense out of the shark when he realized that he would be _bullying_ the big fish who was only looking for meal (the meal being him, but that wasn't the point!) to eat.**

 **Bullying someone - or something - was mean and something that goes against Tsuna's morals. If he really did that to the carnivorous fish, then he would become the bully and he didn't have it in himself to be mean...**

 **I mean, just _look_ at that eager face of finally founding what it was looking for! Those hungry, blood-lusting eyes... that big mouth opening in a happy grin... those hundreds of newly sharpened tee - oh sh**, _he_ was going to become shark food!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"..."

Reborn noticed the brief stiffness on Tsuna's shoulder, but he knew that it was just because he hitman had made mention to his other life - especially not after what he had found earlier in the morning. Judging from the worried glance that Natsu was casting the brunet, Reborn knew his suspicions were proven right.

"... what _else_ have you been doing when we were in Italy?"

"Uh..." Tsuna laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "N-Nothing much."

Reborn gave him a look.

"... Um... just... y'know, here and there," Tsuna gestured randomly. "Climbing cliffs and swimming laps in the ocean and all that."

The room noticeably dropped a few degrees.

"Gao?"

"Tsuna-kun," Aria furrowed her brows in worry. "You were already pushing yourself ever since?"

"You're one crazy kid." Gamma commented, giving Tsuna some sort of acknowledgement for his tenacity.

"Haha..."

"Dame-Tsuna." Leon had morphed into its gun form on Reborn's hand.

"What? It wasn't that bad!" The brunet started to get up and back away. "It was just a few bruises and broken bones at first and probably some lung hacking from accidentally using too much flames in one go and almost being shark food and... and I should _really_ shut up now."

"... You have three -"

Even before Reborn gave him the verdict, Tsuna _bolted_. (He knew that Reborn being the sadist he was, he had already started counting down the moment he announced the warning.)

"Dame-Tsuna, how _dare_ you not let me finish."

"Haha, come back alive Tsu-chan~!"

"Shut up Byakuran!"

* * *

 **Natsu's back! He is just so _adorable_ , and honestly, I really _really_ want to cuddle with him!**

 **... Ahem, please don't mind the previous comment (It's one of the few times I go fangirling over something).**

 **The... uh, focus on Tsuna is gonna be wrapping up in a chapter or two. I haven't forgotten about Ienari and his guardians so if anyone's wondering about that, don't worry, I'll be giving them the spotlight soon enough! (And hello, more drama. :p)**

 **Thanks to** _Mangetsuko, iKitsuNeko, KK, Allain, Bibliophile Otaku , Mei, Guest, Chi-chan, Ren-chan the otaku, The Cold and Lonely One, Lulubell Alynn, Crazzyy Anime Fan, PAVeY14, thor94, Little Ms. Pumpkin, aiwataru1, sousie, g02sleep, Tetsuya Dragneel, LovEInsanity, Chew Chew, momocolady, D C JoKeR H S, doremishine itsuko, Owlstar7, PhantomCielo27, Kiri Kaitou Clover, TheSilverHunt3r, WeirdWisher, Bubblepop32, makubex000, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	18. Little Mare's Yearnings

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Ienari and his friends were waiting for Reborn after school since the infant told them to do so, and that was when they met a white haired kid with a closed eye smile and a strange purple mark under his left eye wandering around school grounds.

"Hi!"

"What's with that stupid smile brat?" Gokudera was the first to hold a grudge over the boy.

The white haired boy gasped, and (fake) tears started to form around his eyes. "Wahhh! Mister is being so mean!"

"Gokudera, don't go scaring off kids." Ienari sighed in exasperation, but there was an unsettling feeling in the back of his head. It was just a little thrum, but it made him unease when the source of it came from the kid.

He pushed it away nonetheless, thinking it was nothing at all. "Sorry, kid, my friend's just like that."

"Really?" Said boy blinked owlishly... not that anyone could really tell since his eyes were kept closed.

"Haha, what's your name kid?" Yamamoto stepped forth. "Are you lost?"

"Eh~" The boy rocked back and forth on his toes as he thought about the question. He decided to avoid the first question and answer the second. "I'm not lost."

Ienari narrowed his eyes and the faint warning bells finally set off his uneasiness.

"Che," Gokudera scoffed. "If you're not lost, then why are you blocking our way?"

The boy chuckled and spun around in a circle before hopping forward so that he was right in front of Ienari.

"You know," His eyes opened (they have been closed since the beginning) into slits, revealing lilac orbs. "Your Hyper Intuition is quite weak."

Said blonde widened his caramel brown eyes in alarm in confusion. "Wha..."

A sudden spike of killing intent that the boy exuded caused Ienari, Gokudera, and Yamamoto jumped. They had not even noticed it until the boy had increased his aura.

"W-what the-!"

 _Thwack!_

"OW! Reborn! What was that for?!"

With the appearance of Reborn, the tension that was there before all but disappeared. "For not putting up your guard against an unknown. If that brat was an actual assassin sent to kill you all, then you would all be lying on the ground in cold blood right now."

His words left the three boys stiffening and staring at the the white haired boy in wariness.

"Pffft...!" The boy laughed, fishing out a bag of marshmallows out of nowhere and started plopping some in his mouth. "I'm not an assassin ~"

They loosen.

The reaction, however, caused the boy the open his eyes again, a fox-like smile on playing on his lips. "Then again, how do you know I'm not lying?"

The trio blinked, and Ienari got whacked on the head by Leon-hammer. "Really, Baka-Nari, I expected better from you at least."

"But he -"

"Did I say to talk back to me?"

"N-no -"

"Good." Reborn gestured towards the white haired boy. "This is Gesso Byakuran."

"Hi~!" Said boy waved a bag of marshmallows around. "Want some marshmallows?"

"... who is he, really." Ienari demanded, eyeing Byakuran with mistrust.

"Your soon-to-be ally!" The marshmallow addict gave a thumbs up. He received blank looks in return, because really, who was going to believe a nine-year-old kid? (Reborn's even younger in appearance but he's an exception for obvious reasons)

"How rude." Byakuran huffed, crossing his arms. "Just for your information, I'm the boss of the Gesso Famiglia, Vongola _decimo._ "

"... Eh." Ienari piped dumbly, slow to register that sentence. "EEEEHHHHHHH?!"

"Wow." Was all Yamamoto could say.

"You?" Gokudera narrowed his eyes skeptically. "You're, what, nine?"

"Turning ten!"

"Same difference."

Byakuran sighed and turned to Reborn, his stature lazy and fit more of an adult's than a kid's. "Well, I have seen this Sky so I'll take my leave now."

"... do you mean what you say?"

"Of course, Sun Arcobaleno." Byakuran's eyes opened for the third time, giving the infant a long look. "Vongola _will_ have the support of the Gesso as well as the Giglio Nero when the situation calls for it. It's only a matter of time." He then mumbled under his breath. "Time that is slowly running out."

The exchange left the three teens a bit baffled, though more on the part of how Byakuran had suddenly switched from childish to business demeanor that only an experienced adult would have.

"Though, I expected more out of the Vongola Decimo." Byakuran's gaze went back to Ienari, appraising him up and down once more with a disappointed frown marring his features. "You're lacking harmony Decimo. A Sky without harmony is just waiting for its inevitable fall."

"W-what...?" Ienari asked, baffled, but his heart clenched from the first sentence. He was a bit insulted that he didn't even meet up to a kid's expectations. Really, just how _high_ was it? Ridiculously off the charts like Reborn's?

"Welp, ta ta~!" And Byakuran sprouted _wings_ and flew off, leaving a few feathers in his wake.

Gokudera blinked, his eyes widening by the second. "HE's A UMA?!"

.

.

.

When Tsuna was in his room, surfing the web on the laptop that Nana got him a few weeks before. (She thought that taking online lessons would would help if he was struggling with school.)

He was just bored, really, when he typed up Vongola. He checked a few websites, some saying that 'Vongola Enterprise' have a high chance of going bankrupted or facing debt or -

"TSUUU-CHAAANNN!"

 _Slam...!_

Tsuna had been shocked out of his bored busing that he slammed his hands on the keyboard. Honestly, he must have paid his Intuition no mind when he was so absorbed into reading. He really regretted it, because the alien in his head is now happily boasting that he should've listened to it.

"Byakuran..." Tsuna sighed, turning to face the Sky Mare who was currently perched on his open windowsill, facing outside. He had opened it a while ago knowing this was going to happen (he just didn't know when). "I thought you went back with Yuni...?"

"Eh~" Byakuran kicked up his feet as he sat. "I decided to stay for a few days and have a talk with Sho-chan."

"... Irie-kun?" Tsuna raised a brow. "I hope you won't scare him too much. He does has his stomachache tendencies, doesn't he?"

Byakuran chuckled. "Yup."

He hummed a bit before speaking once more. "I met your brother."

Tsuna blinked, shoulders tensed. "And...?"

"He's so-so." Byakuran shrugged, then looked over his shoulder to make eye contact with Tsuna's sunset-orange orbs. "A Sky without harmony can't lead, you know that."

"I do." The brunet sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But I have faith that Ienari-kun will learn. He's still young after all."

"As are you."

Tsuna looked back, confused. "And what do you mean by that?"

"It's not your fault that we died."

"..."

The room turned silent and tension seem to fill it up so much that it was suffocating. Tsuna balled the fist he had on his table, taking in a sharp breath with his eyes hidden behind his brown hangs.

"C-can we not?"

"..." Byakuran maintained the leveled gaze with a second before sighing in defeat. "All I am saying is that none of us blame you for it."

"..."

"Ne, Tsunayoshi." Said brunet snapped out of the gloom, mystified but attentive because Byakuran spoke his name. "You should know that the future war between Vongola and Millefiore didn't happen in this world, right?"

"... yeah?" Tsuna answered uncertainly. "I was wondering about that a bit since the rings are still sealed."

"..." Byakuran faced the sky outside. "I received my powers when I was six. At that time, I was honestly confused as they why I can see different versions - older versions - of myself taking over the world. There were so much _death_ and I couldn't understand any of it. It was so much to the point that I just accepted it as a fact and that I will be doing the same in the future."

When silence of the answer, Byakuran continued. "So I gathered the guardians that I have seen in my visions early on and already started to prepare for what I would do. Then, _that_ happened."

Byakuran looked back to Tsuna again, chuckling. "I saw you in one of my visions. You stood in front of me, tall and firm, not the least bit afraid of the death that I will bring to you. You died, of course, in throughout all the other parallel worlds. But I honestly didn't expect that in one of the infinite worlds out there, I was _defeated_ by you who was called from the past. You had looked so afraid of war - heck, you don't even _belong_ in _that_ world Tsunayoshi. But you went along with your future self's plan and you _grew,_ along with the guardians that came with you."

"I had been shocked at that time, that someone could change what I thought was a solid _fact._ " Byakuran chuckled softly. "I couldn't accept it that time, so I used all of my resources to go look for you. But... who knew you were have already been in a coma for three years at that time?"

Tsuna's eyes grew wide. "You... you visited?"

"Of course," Byakuran grinned. "Why wouldn't I want to meet the future enemy that would be a downfall?"

"... You didn't do anything though." Tsuna stated as the truth.

"Eh~ How can you be so sure?"

"Byakuran," Tsuna gave the boy a look. "I _trust_ you."

The Sky mare paused, his eyes opening and widening in mild shock before closing and laughing. Hard.

 _Thud._

"... Byakuran?" The brunet asked tentatively, wondering if his once-friend was still sane as the latter rolled on the floor laughing.

"I'm -" _cough_ "- okay!"

"Really." Tsuna said skeptically, seeing the white haired child choking on air.

"Yup!" A thumbs up and a few good seconds later, Byakuran was sitting crossed leg on the floor. He looked back at Tsuna with a rare serene smile. "You really are amazing Tsu-chan."

"... again with the name." The other sigh exasperatedly.

"Anyways, like you said, I didn't do anything." Byakuran continued. "When I saw you lying on that bed, seemingly _lifeless,_ I just... you were weak, but you kept _fighting_. You kept holding onto that thin thread of life that could snap in a moment's notice. You had hope and - and it just _struck me_. Life is as precious as they come and if you end it prematurely, who knows what you have missed?"

The Sky Mare sighed, flopping onto the floor and staring up at the ceiling. "I really admired this world's you for struggling that day, and still was for four more years. By that time, I have seen more visions, ones of that same world where you forgave for what I have done and given me unconditional trust that no one else would dare. You and Yuni." Another smile made it onto his face. "You guys showed me what a really family is."

"... I had honestly hoped that Tsunayoshi would make it," Byakuran said softly. "I wanted to meet him just like how I had met Yuni two years ago. I wanted to see if he's just like Tsu-chan, like the all-encompassing Sky that he was becoming in that fast-pace parallel world. I wanted to get to know my other Sky sibling but... I guess that's impossible now."

(Tsuna briefly wondered if the Byakuran from his world had been affected by this particular parallel version for the change in how Byakuran addressed him. Then again, Byakuran might have just decided to give him a nickname on the spur of the moment that time. he was prone to be spontaneously after all.)

"... I'm sorry." Tsuna apologized, guilt pooling in his stomach. "I... I really..."

"Like I said, Tsu-chan," Byakuran sat up, legs crossed Indian-style. "It's not your fault. Tsunayoshi must've been really tired from all the fighting. Besides, I get to meet you Tsu-chan! The one who changed the other me for the better!"

The brunet sighed, getting up and walking towards the fellow Sky so that he could pull the child into an embrace. It was whole-heartedly welcomed by the Mare child, who was closed to tears. "This is all I can do... Shiro."

Byakuran gasped and beamed up in delight. "Uwaaahhh~! Tsu-chan's the best~!"

Tsuna rolled his eyes and gave a noogie to the Sky Mare. "Way to ruin the moment Byakuran."

"Call me Shiro!"

"..."

"Pleeease?" Cue the imploring puppy-dog eyes.

A resigned sigh. "I can't win against kids."

"Yay~!"

The brunet gave a wry smile. "You staying for dinner?"

"Duh!"

When Tsuna walked back to his desk and looked at the screen, he blinked. "... The heck?"

"What is it Tsu-chan?" Byakuran tilted his head cutely to the side.

"Apparently, I hacked into Vongola's data base."

"... what."

* * *

Ienari shouldn't have even been surprised when there was a familiar uninvited guest the moment he returned home with Gokudera and Yamamoto. But -

"Hahaha! All of you shall bow down to the almighty marshmallow king!"

"No way! You should bow down to Lambo-san!"

\- why was the living room a war zone of... marshmallows?

"Wow..." Yamamoto breathed, amazed at the _mountains_ of marshmallows stack here and there. "I don't think I have ever seen so much marshmallows in my life."

Gokudera twitched at all the apparent cause. "What the hell is -"

 _Oof!_

The silveret had been assaulted by a bag of sugary sweets and that was enough for dynamites to come out. "That's it. I'm going to blow you all up for disrespecting Juudaime's house!"

However...

"Now, now," a placating tone suddenly deigned the room of its presence and Gokudera found himself lacking the dynamites in his hands. "As much as I like fireworks, you shouldn't play with them inside the house, Gokudera-kun."

"Wha-!"

Tsuna watched in amusement as as the trio jumped when the brunet was by their side, waving three dynamites in his hands.

"How - what -" Gokudera didn't know how Tsuna had snuck up on him without him noticing, but it was quickly taken over by anger when he registered what the brunet's comment was. "They're _not_ fireworks you idiot!"

Tsuna raised a brow though his sunset-orange eyes was laughing with mirth "Oh? If they're not fireworks, then are they toys that you carry around?"

Gokudera sputtered indignantly. " _Toys -!_ "

"Haha..." Ienari clamped a mouth over the bomber's ready to explode mouth. "Tsuna, y-you're all better?"

Said brunet blinked, confused. "All bett - oh!" He realized that Ienari must have seen him in the hospital. He smiled and replied with a nod. "It wasn't anything serious, really. Just a coughing fit turning for the worst... somewhat."

"I-I see..." After that, Ienari didn't know what to say so the awkwardness settled in. Though, it didn't last for long, because -

"Tsuuu-chaaannn~!"

"Yes?" Tsuna turned from his brother, causing the latter to sigh in relief, and finally got a good look at what became of the living room.

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Really, guys?"

I-pin and Fuuta managed to look guilty.

"Sorry Tsuna-nii..." The Ranking Prince apologized, looking down on his feet. "We were just playing and - and it got out of hand."

"... it's fine," Tsuna decided, and graced the two with an assuring smile. "Because I know _someone_ should clean all of this up before I throw _all_ of the marshmallows into the trash."

Byakuran gaped and pointed accusingly at the brunet. "You wouldn't dare!"

He narrowed his sunset-orange eyes. "Watch me." He picked up a marshmallow and ambled towards the trash can.

Byakuran watched almost nervously as Tsuna slowly - _tauntingly_ \- release his grip. (If any of them didn't know any better, they would've thought this scene came from some wild west movie.) He couldn't take the pressure anymore and quickly ran towards the brunet - _in tears_ -to save the little marshmallow from certain doom.

"Nooooo! Not the white fluffy goodness! I'll clean up! I'll clean up!"

Tsuna dodged agilely and plopped said white puff into his mouth. "Honestly, Shiro, your obsession over marshmallows is unhealthy."

Ienari and his friends watched the bizarre scene happening, wondering if they had just made it up.

"Uh..." Yamamoto was the first to snap out. "Shiro...?"

"Mm?" Tsuna switched his attention back to the trio. He inwardly chuckled when a cover-up story instantly came to mind. "Yep. This is Shiro. I saw him waiting in front of the house when I came home so I let him in."

"After all," He smiled disarmingly at his brother while Byakuran was looking quite amused in the background. "He said he's Ienari-kun's friend and that he'll be staying over for the night because of the mafia game you guys are playing."

"Wait, he's not - huh?"

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked innocently, but amusement was visible if you really look into his sunset-orange eyes. "He's not your friend?"

Gokudera scoffed. "Of course no -"

"Yes he is." Reborn came in and took a seat of Tsuna's head. He looked at the latter, then at a grinning Byakuran, and got the gist of what's going on. "He'll be staying for the night."

"Wait, what?!"

"Hope we can have _fun_ with our mafia game~!"

"HUH?!"

"Ah, Reborn-san," Tsuna titled his head up slightly. "I came upon an interesting problem, can you help me?"

"Oh?"

"It's quite... peculiar and since you're a tutor, I though you could help me solve it."

"Hm... fine." Reborn turned to face his student and his two guardians. "Watch the kids, especially... 'Shiro' and make sure they clean up before maman sees this."

Tsuna excused himself from the group and headed for the stairs. He made made sure he out of hearing distancing before speaking. "Reborn... how... how _strong_ are the defenses on Vongola's data base?"

"... what do you mean?"

Tsuna opened and closed the door behind him, moving towards where his laptop is, screen put on sleep. He deadpanned at the hitman as he turned the screen back on, showing _all_ the secrets of Vongola in all its digital glory.

"Because I managed to _hack_ into it. Apparently."

Reborn _stared_.

"I uh..." Tsuna scratched his head sheepishly. "I was just surfing the web when... y'know, Byakuran showed up, startling me. I think it's because I accidentally hit a few random keys that time and... well, this happened."

Again, Reborn _stared_.

"Honest." Tsuna raised his hand in defense. "I'm not even _that_ good in that area anyways."

A _sigh_ escaped Reborn's lips. "... We need to hire better technicians."

Tsuna chuckled in amusement before an idea struck. "... Ah... maybe he'll work."

"Who?" Reborn caught his mumbling.

"Oh... I said that out loud didn't I?" Tsuna's smile was strained, sweat trailing down his temples as a show of nervousness.

The look that Reborn was giving him, he understood that it would be pretty if Reborn doesn't get what he wants.

"There's... someone Byakuran's looking for," Tsuna shrugged his shoulder, relenting. "You might want to ask him if you can accompany him."

"Is that someone good?" Reborn was skeptical but was't closed to any suggestion that Tsuna would make.

"Well..." Tsuna was praying that this world's Irie Shoichi would be able to handle meeting the combination of Byakuran _and_ Reborn. Just imagining his once-friend dying due to extreme stomach pain because he was being hunted down by a marshmallow addict and a Satan-spawn was _not_ pretty.

He hope Irie could forgive him when they meet.

"Not right now, since Byakuran confirmed that he's still in his teens but... in my world, he becomes one of my close friends and one of the top technicians in Vongola that could even give _Verde_ a decent challenge. Though... he's prone to stomachaches when put on the spot."

"Oh ho," Reborn smirked. "Sounds like _fun._ "

"Please don't mentally scar him.," Tsuna implored immediately after seeing the gleam in the Sun Arcobaleno's beady eyes. "I already feel bad telling you about him as it is."

"I'll tone it down..."

Tsuna relaxed somewhat.

"... a bit."

"..."

* * *

 **A little insight on what our little Mare have been thinking about. And marshmallows. Nuff' said.**

 **Then revealing of the reason behind the biggest deviation from Tsuna's original world so far. The future-yet-not was... never meant to be because of, well, Tsuna. ('Cuz he's awesome like that.) And so... there's a reason why Byakuran calls Tsuna, Tsu-chan. (Because little Byakuran will always remember Tsunayoshi as the boy he respected and yearned to meet but never will.)**

 **Also, Tsuna is _so_ pro at hacking LOL - Jk, I know nothing about programming much less hacking sothat was for laughs**

 **Thanks to** KK, PAVeY14, Chi-chan, Awesomeness, Mei, lovleydragonfly, Guest, GreenDrkness, StarLikeShadow, thor94, sousie, La mangeuse de livre, PhantomCielo27, LuizaCielo, Tetsuya Dragneel, AkiraYuni, Mixie18, Yhaelle-chii, D C JoKeR H S, iKitsuNeko, Little Ms. Pumpkin, DescendingSnow, analogixcience, LovEInsanity, Akane Shinigami, Knight Yuuki, nessa11997, Kiri Kaitou Clover, Undertheskys, Lulubell Alynn, aiwataru1, YokaiAngel **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	19. Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

When Tsuna had turned up the next day at school (after a day's absence), he was met with a flying tonfa the moment he stepped through the gate.

(Way to greet someone early in the morning.)

He had a second to ponder whether it was worth dodging or not before contact would be made between steel and his face. Then he remembered the presence of a certain Skylark in that warehouse incident, which meant Hibari saw what he could do, which meant -

 _Smack._

Tsuna acted on reflex when he had down right smacked down the tonfa as if it was an annoying fly. He then looked around and realized that there were _witnesses_ in the form of _students_ and - and -

... _Oops._

\- Yeah... he _really_ should've controlled his reflexes better. But then again, his mind doesn't work too well with his current body since the former had more than enough battle experiences while his body had little to none. What resulted from that was sloppy movements that he couldn't control. Not quite smoothly anyways.

He need to find someone to spar with to correct that.

"Herbivore..."

... Preferably _not_ that one.

Tsuna flinched, but it wasn't the reason most people would think. He counted mentally to relax as he prepared to face one Hibari Kyouya.

"H-hi... um... Hibari-san." Tsuna greeted with strain, swallowing saliva forcefully down his throat as he discreetly backed away. He honestly hope that the once-Cloud would give him a break and not -

"I'll bite you to death."

 _Oh c'mon!_ Tsuna wailed mentally when Hibari made his move. He feigned tripping over air, dodging a horizontal swing. Though it had looked like he kissed the ground, Tsuna had discreetly placed a hand beneath him and it sprang him back up in record time. He took that chance to run, leaving a startled Skylark to wonder what had happened.

"Sorry Hibari-san! I have to get to class!"

Tsuna didn't think he had messed up even in his speech, but because he was in a hurry to leave the scene, he forgot to stutter like a cower nor did he remember to sound even remotely _fearful_ of the demon Prefect. Albeit, his Hyper Intuition was happily humming that he had unknowingly made it onto Hibari's obscure hit-list.

.

.

.

Tsuna realized that he had caught Hibari's attention when he was called to the Disciplinary Committee room. Everyone - minus Ienari, Gokudera, and Yamamoto, who were just confused - in his class gave him looks of pity as he walked out.

The brunet knew he had to confront the Prefect sooner than later after what happened, so he dragged himself over to the appointed room.

The moment Kusakabe Tetsuya let him in, he caught the tonfa that was, again, aimed at his face. He was more than a bit annoyed at the type of greeting he received today.

"Hibari-san -"

The Skylark didn't let him finish when he attacked.

"K-Kyo-san?!" Unfortunately, the startled Kusakabe was ignored.

Tsuna frowned, using the tonfa he caught to block the other one in Hibari's possession. Compared with the Cloud though, he could feel his strength waning - but then again, Tsuna wasn't one to depend on brute strength. (The only times he would ever rely on brute strength was through his flames - to be more specific, his X-burners, its variants, and the likes.)

He's more used to _adapting_ rather than anything else because the opponents he'd fought were _always_ getting better, forcing _him_ to adjust and depend more on his speed, size, and stamina to out-do instead of actually relying on a single fighting style... that is, if he ever had one. (It was more of a mix of different styles that he had learned from different teachers, and depending on the situation, he would automatically apply the best one suited for it.)

He quickly broke apart from Hibari, knowing that with his current power, he wouldn't be able to match up unless he enhanced his body with flames - and that's not something he was willing to do unless it was necessary.

The tonfa doesn't suit him so he tossed it aside, bristling the Cloud because it was _his precious tonfa_ that Tsuna just threw away like trash.

"Oh... uh... sorry?" Tsuna realized what he did and grinned nervously, arching back to avoid a horizontal swing. He used the arm of the couch he was leaning over to support his upper body weight as he pivoted on his foot, locking the other leg around Hibari's outstretched arm and going along his mid-back. Once secured, he spun in midair, bring Hibari down with the centrifugal force.

He was quick to release and move away, but he frowned as he watched Hibari get back up. Hibari was... for the lack of a better word, _predictable_. Sure his movements were fluid and he knew where to hit, but... but Hibari was... was _restrained -_ that was what he wanted to say.

He wasn't too sure back at the warehouse but now that he had a few more exchanges with the Skylark, he was positive.

( _The Sky doesn't have harmony. The Cloud cannot float freely without a harmonious Sky._ )

He huffed as the Skylark came for another round.

Tsuna feigned to dodge right but had moved up to grab the Prefect by the collar. Once secured, he flipped Hibari over towards ... the desk (Tsuna will _not_ be responsible for any collateral damage because he did _not_ start this fight) with one of the martial arts moves that he had learned from Fon.

Hibari was quick to react; he slammed a hand on the table before using it to spring himslef into an upside down spin kick at once. Tsuna had seen that coming with his sharp eyes so he moved out of the way -

"Ah!"

\- Or he would have if Hibari didn't think ahead and aimed to sweep behind his knees. He didn't actually have the reflexes to dodge fast enough since he was still close up.

Tsuna, although tripped (not the air's fault this time), quickly used his hand to spring into a cartwheel.

 _Clink..._

But... he couldn't really dodge the chains that came around his torso while he's midair now can he?

He let out another yelp as he was quickly being pulled back, but then decided to use the momentum and aimed a kick at Hibari's solar plexus. The latter didn't react in time because of his surprise.

 _Crash!_

Hibari was send bowling over his desk and crashing along with his leather chair while Tsuna landed lightly on the surface of the desk.

He was quick to leap down and take Hibari by the throat (The brunet had repeated a few thousand apologies in his head while he was at it) and reeled back his other hand as if about to punch Hibari in the face (mind you, he wasn't going to go through the motion... even if it was pretty tempting when he was reminded of how much trouble his own Cloud had caused him over the years ).

"I win."

Kusakabe had been gaping throughout this exchange but now? His jaws had reached the floor because of _obvious_ reasons and - _holy sh** he did_ not _just witness that!_

Tsuna narrowed his sunset-orange orbs against steel-gray ones, his grip on Hibari's throat firm as the latter stared, wide eyed because he had _lost_ and despite the exchange of bouts, Tsuna didn't even look that tired.

"Any complaints?"

None were forthcoming.

Tsuna released a sigh when the other showed no sign of retaliating. He pushed himself off of Hibari... only for him to _hack_ and his flames to _roar_.

A flash of concern was on the Skylark's face before it morphed into confusion.

"S-Sawada-san?" Kusakabe snapped out of his previous daze when Tsuna started to have a violent fit. "Are you alright?"

"I-I'm okay..." Tsuna waved off the disciplinary member's concern, leaning against the desk before fishing out two colored bottles and shake out a pill from each, shoving them into his mouth. He released a sigh of relief when he felt Rain flames calming his still some-what volatile flames while Sun flames work its magic in cell activation in the areas that needs it. "I completely forgot to -"

 _Wham!_

\- Tsuna sprang away from a hammer.

"Reborn..." Tsuna said exasperatedly when the infant hitman finally made an appearance. " _Why._ "

"You forgot." was the only answer from the hitman.

"..." Tsuna had no argument for that because he really did forget to take his medicine until earlier. But it's just such a _nuisance_ to take it everyday!

"Deal with it Dame-Tsuna."

Tsuna felt a weight on his head and looked up, pouting. "Stop that."

"Nope."

"... Forget it." He sighed in defeat, knowing that changing Reborn's mind was near impossible. He felt someone glaring holes into the back of his head and groaned. "Hibari-san, may I help you with something?"

"Hn."

"... so what if I was holding back?" Tsuna shot back defensively. The mere _fact_ that Tsuna even _understood_ what Hibari meant send Kusakabe into another round of surprise because someone that wasn't him or Reborn actually understands the Disciplinary Committee Chairman's way of speech.

"I didn't want to fight you anyways!"

A growl escape Hibari's throat at the seemingly offending comment, his hands itching for his tonfas again.

"No, wait!" Tsuna raised his hands in defense when he say the action. "I didn't mean it that way! I just don't like fighting _in general!_ "

"Sparring sessions."

"You're not listening -" The brunet groaned, hand running down his face in defeat. " _Fine_ , I need someone to spar anyways, _but_ only every other day and when there are no one watching else, got it?"

"... omnivore." The Skylark gave his acknowledgement and promptly kicked Tsuna out of his office, leaving Reborn behind for whatever talk they were going to have.

.

.

.

"... Wow." Tsuna piped, blinking at the door. "That escalated pretty quickly."

"I apologize on his behalf, Sawada-san." Kusakabe, who followed out after the boy, managed weakly. The brunet was gaining more and more of the former-delinquent's respect by the second because Tsuna could put up a fight - _winning it -_ against the Prefect _and_ get said person to acknowledge him all within the _same meeting_. Not to mention, "It's rare to meet someone who can understand Kyo-san though."

"Eh?" Tsuna blinked. It wasn't _that_ impressive since he and the others had been forced to learn the Hibari language since Hibari himself refused to speak more than 'hn', a word or two, a few names that he acknowledges (like Kusakabe), his catchphrase, and animal analogies. (Though... he _does_ speak a max of five words that weren't in his usual speech on rare occasions...)

"It's... not that big of a deal."

Kusakabe noticed that the brunet was being a completely different person than when the latter had been escorted by him towards the Disciplinary room earlier. He had seen the teen around campus during his patrols from time to time, but he didn't think much of the brunet because he looked... feeble and- and like a _bunny._ But then _that_ just happened and - Kusakabe vowed to never judged someone by its cover ever again.

 _Riiiiiiinnnng ~_ sang the bell that signaled lunchtime.

"Ah... there goes my math class."

"I'm sorry about that Sawada-san," Kusakabe dipped a polite bow.

"... Just call me Tsuna, Kusakabe-san." The brunet smiled. "And you don't have to be so formal with me. I mean, _Hibari-san_ greeted me with a tonfa twice already today."

"But that's Kyo-san..." The second-in-command responded helplessly.

"Eh... fair enough." Tsuna shrugged and grinned at the older teen. "See ya around Kusakabe-san!"

Kusakabe blinked. This was definitely a different person.

* * *

Tsuna hasn't gone far from the Disciplinary Room - he was at the stairs a few classrooms down - when he encountered a problem.

Well... not exactly. It was just people targeting him again because, apparently, they had nothing better to do in their lives than to bully someone weaker (not) than them.

"Watch where you're going, Dame-Tsuna!"

Tsuna edged away with his hands up in front of him as defense. "S-sorry senpai..."

Another scoffed, glaring daggers at the not-very intimidated brunet. "Getting cocky after getting lucky against the demon this morning eh?"

Tsuna blinked. He didn't think there were going to be _rumors_ about that and they spread pretty fast, much to his dismay.

"H-haha... o-of course not!" Tsuna smiled sheepishly. "Any person with enough of a brain would know I'm too dame to be anything but!"

"That's right - wait, are you insulting us Dame-Tsuna?" Darn, they caught on. This group was smarter than the other ones he's faced.

"Uh..." The brunet laughed almost nervously. _Yes_. "No...?"

"Che, like Dame-Tsuna could outsmart us."

 _Well, I just did._ "I would never dream of it senpais." Tsuna looked around the three and towards stairs down to the floor where his classroom is. "Um... c-can I... go now? It's lunch and if Hibari-san sees us crowding here..."

"Heh, drop down and beg and we'll think about it."

Tsuna furrowed his brows at that. They didn't seem to have caught the implied danger in his last sentence. I mean, the Disciplinary Room is right _there_ \- granted, it's barely visible but that's not the point. (Hibari has some sort inbuilt 'crowd' detector so... they're _so_ dead.)

"Um..." He strained a smile, placing a foot behind him to get a stable stance in case something happens. (Like hell will he get down on his knees. There's this thing called 'dignity' and Tsuna would not forfeit it over something like this.)

Turns out, he didn't need to.

"Oi." Mochida Kensuke made an appearance and since the older teen has somewhat of a place in the social hierarchy of this school - plus the fact that the people that was preying (like they could) on Tsuna was part of the Kendo club that Mochida had once been part of, if the brunet heard correctly. (He hadn't really understood the reason behind his withdrawal from the sport until the day before.)

"Oh hey Kensuke, look who we found."

The group of three parted as Mochida came up from behind them. He looked from one former teammate to the next before finally landing on a bemused but somewhat expecting Tsuna. Then without warning, the older teen did a ninety-degree bow, shocking the observers because the ex-captain of the Kendo team was _bowing respectfully_ down to _Dame-Tsuna_.

"I'm sorry for the trouble that my friends are causing."

"C-Captain...?"

"H-hey... what are you doing Kensuke? That's _Dame-Tsuna._ "

Mochida ignored them, not budging from his stance even when the others tried to right him,

Tsuna blinked in surprise but his gaze softened something akin to fondness towards the sincere teen. This was a different side to Mochida that Tsuna had only seen once or twice. The first time being when they were in their early adulthood when they met as subordinate and boss. Granted, it hadn't been the _best_ situation to meet in considering, well, the base Mochida was assigned to had been under siege and Tsuna pretending to be kidnapped to infiltrate said base and all that. (His guardians were anything but happy about Tsuna's actions that day.)

After that episode - and though it took some time to come into terms with who was his boss - Mochida gave the brunet his complete respect and loyalty, as well as an apology for all he had done in the past. (Tsuna had accepted and forgave him without a second thought.)

He chuckled, catching the attention of the students that were now starting to gather around the corridor. He ignored them all though, in favor of focusing on Mochida.

"It's fine."

"..."

The brunet sighed when the teen still haven't straight up. He had the feeling that Mochida was also apologizing for the day before but Tsuan really hadn't thought anything of it. "Honestly, there's nothing you should be apologizing for. It was, and never will be your fault."

"But..."

"Stand tall Mochida-senpai." Tsuna said - no, _commanded_ , causing said person to straighten his back immediately as if he was a solider in front of a commander. "Your pride is your sword, isn't it? Sharpen it and use it to protect others from now on." _Like you had done before._

Mochida stared blankly.

The brunet looked out the hallway window, towards the wide spread of blue. "The sky is vast, just like your choices in life."

He walked up so they were side to side. He gave the older teen a pat on the shoulder and a closed-eye smile that Dame-Tsuna could never have pulled off. (It was was one that should belong on a magazine - and those who made the comparison was appalled because it was _Dame-Tsuna_.) "Just don't make the ones that you will regret later on."

His eyes opened to revealing faint glowing sunset-orange orbs. "Can you do that?"

Mochida nodded mutely, gaining another smile from Tsuna. "Good."

"See ya later, Mochida-senpai." The brunet chuckle softly as he walked past, hands in his pockets. "And better start dispersing guys or it'll activate Hibari-san's crowding detector ~"

That got everyone to move away from the scene.

"Is he..." One of the members of the Kendo team blinked, pointing at the retreating figure of Tsuna. "Is he really Dame-Tsuna?"

"... No." Mochida answered, hands balling into fists as the faded determination that had once been diminishing rekindled in his eyes. "Sawada's more than that if you really look. _Way_ more."

He huffed and walked away. "Don't forget practice after school."

"E-eh?" The group looked at Mochida in hope. "Does that mean you're coming back Captain?"

"I never left, idiots. Just took a small break, is all."

"A few months' worth! How is that a small break?!"

"Whatever."

* * *

Tsuna looked across from where he sat on the floor in his room to meet a certain green-eyed redhead, who was currently pressing his hands against his stomach in a bout of nervousness.

"I don't like this." The brunet mumbled. Honestly, he never did like dragging his friends into the underworld in the first place. But he haven't had a choice back then.

"You're the one that spilled." Reborn rebutted nonchalantly from the seat next to him.

"An habit of mine to mumble things out loud." Tsuna retorted, his eyes narrowing on the infant hitman. "And you're the one that would have gotten it out of me no matter what."

"Yup."

"C'mon Tsu-chan!" Byakuran chirped from the seat next to one Irie Shoichi. "Sho-chan's gonna be great help!"

Tsuna gave the Sky Mare a look. "I know he is, but I don't want Irie-kun to get into unnecessary trouble because of us."

Sunset-orange orbs gave the redhead another look over, the latter didn't seem like he was up to a conversation anytime soon.

He scowled towards Reborn and Byakuran. "What. Did you guys _do_?"

"Nothing~"The Sky mare chirped, plopping another marshmallow into his mouth. "We just had fun playing tag~!"

 _Dear god_. Tsuna was absolutely horrified as to how that had turned out - because anything involving Byakuran and marshmallows spells trouble. (Adding in Reborn makes in a whole lot worst.)

"..." Tsuna turned to Irie again and dipped his head in apology. "I'm so _so_ sorry to have you be dragged into trouble by these two."

"E-eh?" Irie jumped in start.

Reborn made a disgruntled noise. "We did no such thing Dame-Tsuna. Though... Byakuran seemed to be constantly high on sugar earlier."

"Shiro..."

Byakuran just hummed a happy tune. "Ne, Sho-chan~ What do you know of the mafia."

"W-w-what?!"

" _Shiro!_ "

"Don't worry Tsu-chan! Sho-chan and I are online chat buddies!"

"... so you basically told him _everything_ before you guys met face to face?" Tsuna deadpanned.

"Yup~!" (Tsuna wondered if anyone still honor the Omertà anymore... or how the Vindice haven't been involved yet.)

Irie groaned. "I-I didn't think what he said was real... until - until he _flew_ into my class today with that - that _baby_ on his shoulder and _kidnapped_ me."

"..." The culprits look away innocently when Tsuna shot them glares.

"Irie-kun," The brunet then sighed, massaging his temples. "Honestly, it's your choice whether you want to get yourself involved or not."

"But Tsu-chan...!"

"Ignore them." The brunet waved off the puppy-look that Byakuran gave and the evil glint in Reborn's beady black eyes.

Iries weatdropped, wondering how Tsuna was acting so blatantly causal in front of two... two demons-in-disguise.

"Irie-kun." Said person brought his attention back, meeting sunset-orange orbs directly for the first time since they met. He saw an ocean of wisdom, showing that the boy had seen too much, experience too much, yet he still stay strong. Staying strong and accepting of everything.

He was instantly drawn into them - _warmwarmwarm_ -

"Whether you'll join the other side of the coin or not," Tsuna started, voice dropping an octave and eyes faintly glowing. "the choice is yours, and _will always be yours_. As long as you don't regret your decision in the future, I will give you my full support."

"B-but..." Irie stared at the brunet who was no longer his age - just like Byakuran. "H-how can you be... we-we just met...!"

"It doesn't matter," Tsuna smiled, leaning back as he crossed his leg over the other and placing his weaved hands on his lap. He had seen professional all of a sudden. "I know you're a good person inside out and that's all there is to it."

Irie gawked at the instant trust the brunet had just gave him. He wasn't sure if Tsuna was naive for trusting strangers or just... just - he couldn't find the right word that would describe the brunet sitting across from him. However, it made Irie warm because of his words.

He had always wanted to be a musician, but everyone said that he was born to take a different path. To be honest, no one supported his choice. His family had tried not to show it, but Irie knew that they had wanted him go into the engineering field. He had no friends a school and the teachers only praised of his knowledge and expected him to become of the leading scientists in the future. But _Tsuna_ -

"So... what will your choice be, Irie-kun?"

"I..." Irie looked at Tsuna, and he saw, for a moment, the shadow of a man behind him. A strong stature that shows his importance, firm shoulders that never fail to support the weight of the world, a warm and gentle smile that braved through the test of time, accepting everything as they come, eyes hidden but he knew of the resolve to protect burning bright from within.

A great Sky, the redhead instantly thought as he was being drawn in once more. Like the one that Byakuran had talked about in several of their online conversations.

\- And Irie wondered for the first time, if being a musician was what he always wanted to do. "I want..."

He wants to know what would happen if he follows Tsuna. Would he be able to meet the man behind him someday? And see the future that he will pave?

"Sawada-kun." The redhead chuckled, surprising Tsuna a bit. "... I want to help."

"Eh?" Sunset-orange eyes blinked owlishly, reverting back to ones that match that of a teen's. They then looked on with worry. "Are you sure?"

"Mm." Irie nodded. "Honestly, the mafia sounds horrible but..." He relaxed. "... but if there's someone like Sawada-kun there, then I'm sure I won't regret my choice today."

"... Tsuna." At Irie's confusion, the brunet laughed. It was light and jovial that it would diffuse any sort of tension that came its way. "I prefer to be called Tsuna and besides, I have a brother so we need some way of separating ourselves."

"Then... then call me Shoichi," Irie tacked on and bowed. "Thank you for having me."

.

.

.

"Shiro, don't cause too much trouble for Shoichi-kun for the rest of your stay." Tsuna warned as he sent the duo out the door.

"I would never do that Tsu-chan!"

"Uh huh." The brunet rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Irie. "When you meet any troubles, don't hesitant to call okay?"

"When huh..." Irie laughed nervously.

"I already made a call to Nono and his guardians." Reborn chimed in, jumping onto Tsuna's head. "They need to see one of Irie's works before approving him."

"They didn't put up much a fight?" Tsuna asked in wonder.

"I don't give recommendations unless I'm one hundred percent certain those people trustworthy." Reborn said flatly. "What do you think."

"... fair enough." Tsuna shrugged. "I hope you won't mind, Shoichi-kun."

"Don't worry," Irie laughed. "I'll send you a copy of the security system coding I have been making once I'm done debugging."

"Ah," The brunet just thought of something. "If you somehow manage to meet someone by the name of Spanner, don't be shy to befriend him. You two would make a great inventing duo."

"Eh?" The redhead tilted his head up in thought. "Spanner huh? Actually... I think he's the one who transferred to my class a few days ago actually. Is he a blonde foreigner who always have a lollipop on hand?"

"... that's... him alright." Tsuna blinked. "Huh, small world we live in."

Irie chuckled. "If he's as you say, I look forward to meeting him."

"I'm sure you two will make great friends." Tsuna easily assured.

"But not as great as Sho-chan and me!" The Sky Mare glomped the redhead. "Let's go to your house now Sho-chan!"

"EH?... EEEEEEehhhhhhh?!"

Tsuna and Reborn watched as Byakuran _flew_ Irie away.

"... I really hope Shoichi won't be admitted into the mental asylum in the future."

* * *

 **[Location: Italy]**

 _Drum drum drum._

A man close to his thirties sat on the throne like chair in the room, his fingers drumming the air of said chair impatiently. His entire upper body was curtained by the shadow, leaving one leg crossed over the other to be revealed to the light, covered in black pants while wearing well-polished black shoes. However, the aura - the _power_ \- that he was exuding clearly indicated that he was a mafia boss.

 _"What._ Did you say? _"_ He had growled at the informant that had just returned, his tone deep, testing and _dangerous_ that it wouldn't be a surprise if is tapping hand would sudden stretch out, grab his subordinate by the throat and squeeze it so hard that it snaps.

The informant shivered, wondering to himself why it was _him_ of all people that had to deliver the news. His boss wasn't someone to trifle with - especially with that short-temper of his when certain matters were involved. _"I-I... O-our men said t-they -"_

 _" **Silence.** " _And of course, he was also spontaneous on his orders that only the more skilled subordinates could go with his unique flow without a hitch. Those who couldn't would inevitably fall off the cliff.

Silence permitted the room, the informant not daring to make a sound unless told to. However, it was broken when the boss decided to speak again.

 _"Leave and have Vincent report to me."_

The informant had been to happy to oblige as he literally zoomed out of the office that his boss resides it.

The man rubbed the shiny ring on his hand but no matter how much he inputs into the damn thing, it wouldn't work like it should.

 _"Sooner or later... "_ An predatory glint enter his eyes. _"_ _I'll have more Clams for dinner_ _."_

* * *

 **So... I'm trying to come up with a villain group. Yeah... sorry, I haven't thought too far into the (semi-nonexistent) plot yet haha... I _do_ have something in mind but it was kinda like... a general bad guy so I haven't been too specific. And Like I said since the beginning, I'm making this as I go so I don't know where I'll end up (but hopefully the story will make sense as a whole in the end)**

 **And no, I haven't forgotten about Mochida. He's right there see? Lol.**

 **Ienari and his guardians won't be finding out Tsuna's secret for a while so... yeah. _But_ , the two parties will start interacting soon. (Hibari's already taking the initiative :D)**

 **Thanks to** _Guest97, H, KK, Fnix de Plata, Chi-chan, Guest, LovEInsanity, PhantomCielo27, nessa11997, Nella Moonblood Royalle, Bibliophile Otaku, Undertheskys, thor94, aiwataru1, iKitsuNeko, LuizaCielo, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Reapergenesis32, D C JoKeR H S, Sora Rider X, GreenDrkness, Chew Chew, TheSilverHunt3r, Mixie18, Kiri Kaitou Clover, Pristar, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	20. Tipping Scale

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Ienari was quite the popular teenager, Tsuna observed from afar over the course of time that they have met, leading a completely different life compared Tsuna's.

Blessed with decent grades (thanks to Reborn), praise-worthy athletic talents, a positive disposition, and an air of arrogance and charisma that left very little to be desired. His classmates proves that when they look at Ienari with admiration and lingers on his every word whenever he speaks.

 _Fitting qualities of a leader._ Tsuna noted as he sat down for another day of school, completely out of breath - They had, again, to rush to school in fear of a certain prefect finding an excuse to bite them to death (Tsuna may have been friends with the demon - if he could call it that - in the past-future, but he wasn't suicidal enough to face Hibari again, lest he wants to be the center of attention).

But Tsuna saw the wall Ienari had built between him and his classmates. The same thick wall that he puts around Tsuna and Nana (Granted, Tsuna wasn't making much of an effort to interact either). Heck, if he was none the wiser, then he would have missed how Ienari kept himself at a distance with _his own guardians_.

Tsuna saw the tentative bond between the sky and his elements, and he won't find the reason for it if he decides to stay on the sideline.

"EXTREEMMEE!"

...

 **"Otouto!"**

 _ **Crash!**_

 **Tsuna refrained from sighing and massaging his temple when the _reinforced_ door to his office was busted (again) by one of his guardians. That one has been reinforced _ten-times,_ yet it still couldn't give a fight against his family.**

 **... maybe he should just get cheaper doors and let his guardians bust destroy how many ever they like. Or maybe he should teach them how to _properly_ use doors because they obviously never learned it before in their entire life.**

 **"Onii-san," Tsuna smiled, inwardly crying when more work will be added. "Couldn't you... use the handle?"**

 **The Sun blinked as if the word 'handle' was in an alien language - it probably was.**

 **"Real men only goes straight!"**

 **"... okay." The Decimo had no idea how that was related to opening a door but he wasn't going to dwell deeper lest he wants to ponder about the meaning of life. "How was your training with the Varia?"**

 **"It was EXTREME!" Ryohei answered boisterously, grinning and giving a salute. "I EXTREMELY helped them hide the bodies!"**

 **"... what bodies."**

 **His Sun was never one to keep secrets away from him unless it was absolutely necessary - it does frustrates sometimes Tsuna because he worries for his family's well-being and keeping him in the dark wasn't helping - but the little alien in his head told him that he wasn't going to like whatever Ryohei was going to report.**

 **"We were going to the training grounds when an ambush was set for us." The lack of 'extreme' integrated into his sentences already spoke volumes how serious Ryohei was about this matter.**

 **"Ambush?" Tsuna frowned before worry seeped in. "Is everyone alright?"**

 **"Of course!" Ryohei patted his chest proudly. "We EXTREMELY demolished them!"**

 **"... that's a bit..." Tsuna grimaced. "Extreme - if you don't mind me saying."**

 **"No," Ryohei rebutted adamantly, silver eyes flashing dangerously. "They deserve it. They were trying to target you but unfortunately for them, they got the wrong information."**

 **"Oh." There was a pause before the Decimo sighed. "Alright, I'm not going to ask for the details but you didn't kill them right?"**

 **Ryohei gave Tsuna an offended look.**

 **"Right," Vongola Decimo stood up, grabbing the suit jacket that hung over the spine of the chair he was sitting on. "Lead the way."**

 **"You're going?" The Sun asked incredulously. "Usually, one of the others would be enough."**

 **" _Ryohei_ ," Tsuna said solemnly, eyes narrowing dangerously and causing said Sun to straighten up. "Whether it was misinformation or not on their part, the fact that they tried to _hurt_ you and the Varia cannot be overlooked."**

 **After putting on his black suit jacket, he walked around his desk while fixing his sleeve cuffs. His gait was graceful, yet there the underlying lethal tenor to it due to years of training with the World's Greatest Hitman. "I don't really care if they're targeting me, but something's going to go down once they try it on my family."**

 **"Besides," Tsuna said casually as he stood in front of Ryohei. "It might be better if I go rather than the others. Who knows the mental scars that they would inflict when they hear the cause behind the ambush."**

 **Ryohei would have chortled at how light the brunet made it sound if he didn't know that although his little brother was a gentle soul, he was by no means a saint. Not when his buttons are pushed anyways.**

 **"Well?"**

 **Ryohei grinned and led the way. He made sure he was always in front not because he thought himself superior - dear lord, _never_ \- but because as the Sun, Ryohei would shine the way for his Sky and block all dangers with his own body.**

...

Tsuna sidestepped an overly hyper, half-naked boxer pulling - is that a _roller_?

How, what, and more importantly, _why_?

Then he saw Master Pao Pao-disguise-Reborn and everything just solves itself because the answer just had to be Reborn.

And because there were people watching, Tsuna let himself stumble and fall clumsily off balance after preventing himself from being roadkill.

"Um..." The brunet blinked uncertainly, looking just above the boxer's head as the white haired male stopped abruptly. "Sasagawa-senpai... r-right?"

For some reason, Tsuna was getting the feeling that the Sun Guardian was on edge and not really very sunny at all, even if he wasn't looking at his directly.

"You're _extremely_ the brother that Sawada spoke of!" Sasagawa Ryohei exclaimed, pointing at Tsuna.

"T-that I am." Tsuna confirmed, startled. He would have inched away to avoid a full blown conversation if he didn't sense that something was off about the boxer's speech pattern.

Was it just him, or was the boxer's volume down graded an octave? (Tsuna would like to proudly announce that he was among one of the very few that could tell the difference in the Sun Guardian's voice and correlating it with the said guardian's mood.)

And right now, the quieter - if quiet was even in Ryohei's dictionary - volume that the boxer took on told Tsuna that he's wary and somewhat frustrated... or the lack of energy in the usage of the Sun's favorite word could've also tipped it off. He had known Ryohei to stress that word in practically every sentence he spoke in order express the extremity (pun not intended) of his thoughts on _like everything_ where strings of words cannot.

But that wasn't important right now.

The question that suddenly held Tsuna's attention was _why_ Ryohei was frustrated - the strained voice, the tension in his muscles, and all that betrayed his quite the commendable facade. The Sun Guardian doesn't get frustrated easily, not with how he takes enthusiasm to the next level or how he's always taking everything head on with those fists of his.

He was nothing like his Sun - _Of course he's not, Dame-Tsuna, he's never my Sun to begin with_.

The Sun he knew would light up everything in a shower of light wherever he went. A healing Sun that would bring light to Vongola in even the darkest of times, and reflect the misfortunes away ten - no, a _hundred fold_.

This Sun lost its lustre.

Tsuna watched achingly as the grin on Ryohei's face slowly turn strained while offering to help the brunet up. The former mumbled a 'thanks' in return and greeted Reborn while he was at it.

"Ciaossu." Reborn greeted back.

"Master Pao Pao said that you'll be joining us in our extreme training later!" Ryohei commented.

"... What?" Tsuna refrained from letting irritation leak into his voice. He so did not remember agreeing to join Reborn's spartan training. (Oh right, didn't Reborn said he was going to force him?) "O-oh, do you mean, training for that Mafia game?"

"What?" Ryohei's confusion was justifiable.

Before Tsuna could elaborate further, he felt the temperature train several degrees. His Hyper Intuition was flaring on high alert.

"For disturbing the peace of the school," Just what Tsuna needed. "I'll bite you to death."

An anarchist Prefect has just been added into the fray.

Their eyes met, Hibari was itching to pull out his tonfa and attack right at that moment if it wasn't for Tsuna discreetly narrowing his sunset-orange eyes, daring the Prefect to attack when they had an agreement.

"Hibari!" Said Prefect's attention was drawn towards Ryohei. "Just the guy I extremely need! Fight me to the extreme!"

Hibari narrowed his eyes dangerously at the boxer, then withdrew his tonfas from beneath his bellowing gakuran jacket. (Tsuna had always been curious of where Hibari hid those on his person...)

"A-ah..." Tsuna jumped and backed away slowly as Reborn unlatched himself from Ryohei's shoulder and took a seat on Tsuna's head. "I-I'll just sit out of this..."

He watch the two duke it out for a moment, the ground and the buildings taking a poor beating for just being there.

He felt bad for the non-living things so he decided to ask if Reborn could stop them... not that he was able to though.

"R-Reborn! Why are those two causing so much commotion?!" Ienari, Gokudera and Yamamoto entered the scene.

"They're training." Reborn answered simply.

"... they're destroying the school!" The blonde pointed at a building that already have a human-size hole it in. Granted, it was the school's old gym so there wasn't much harm done.

Tsuna took this opportunity to voice his suggestion aloud. "Shouldn't we stop them from fighting? They might get in trouble if they continue like that."

"Hibari makes the rules here." Reborn simply answered.

Hearing that, Tsuna sweatdropped while mentally facepalming. Why was he not surprised... "But -"

"But it's a good idea." Reborn turned towards his student, the corners of his mouth curling up ever so slightly in glee. "Go stop them Baka-Nari."

"Eh?!"

Before Ienari could start protesting, Reborn leapt off and delivered a diving kick at Ienari, thrusting him towards certain doom, followed by a deathperation shot. (The Hyper Dying Will one.)

Tsuna coughed an amused laugh.

"Nari!"

"Juudaime!"

And of course, Yamamoto and Gokudera followed right after, leaving only Reborn and Tsuna.

"So..." The brunet started, sticking his hands into his pant pockets. "What was that about?"

"Ienari is the sky that's supposed to encompass the elements." Reborn pulled his fedora down. "He needs to learn how to have some kind of control over his Family. If not..."

 _Vongola will continue to fall._ Tsuna picked up, but then frowned.

"Control?" He did not like the usage of that word, it sounded too much like manipulation. "You mean Ienari-kun can't settle disputes between his guardians?"

"A Sky that can't connect with its elements obviously can't settle anything between them, can they?"

"Thus the lack of harmony leads to the lack of unity." Tsuna concluded and nodded in agreement, idly wondering how long the destruction was going to last before... actually, Hibari was here so he wasn't sure if there was anyone else to stop school property from being damaged.

He had another thought, that one bringing a frown to his lips. Ienari hadn't been doing that well to begin with and judging from the latter's instable flames... Tsuna hoped there would not be a day where the Sky enters full Discord - because that, in itself, was _dangerous_.

When the chaos finally settled, Tsuna and Reborn decided to check on Ienari and the others. He needed to make sure that possibility never comes to fruit - or at least, terminated at its early stages if Discord was to happen.

* * *

Pressure. That was all he felt from those around him. Be it his friends, tutor, family, _the whole frickin' mafia world_ , he felt as though they expected _something_ of him.

He saw it in his father's eyes, in his tutor's, his Guardians, the Ninth and his Guardians, he saw it everywhere. The eyes of expectation and the disappointment that quickly followed afterwards when he didn't live up to what they wanted.

It was absolutely _stifling_.

He couldn't tell anyone how he felt in fear of getting that look in their eyes. The look that said he should try harder, that he should aim higher, that he shouldn't be such a disappo - _god, was he just something that people expect things from?! Like some kind of miracle box or something?!_

Why wasn't there anyone out there that could tell him that he should take a break? That he was a human being just like everyone else?

He couldn't even talk to anyone about his problems either. Especially not his mom, because she knew nothing - _absolutely bloody nothing_ \- about what her son has to go through.

It was the same for his brother - should he even consider the brunet to be a blood relative to begin with? They look nothing alike, they share no bond of any sort, and Tsunayoshi thought they were playing a stupid _game_!

Sawada Tsunayoshi was the _last person_ he would go to and probably _never_ , even if he was the last person on Earth!

How ignorant can a person be? Granted, Tsunayoshi was in a seven year coma - _seven!_ He couldn't believe they didn't attempt to pull the plug on him during those years...

He blinked, did he really just thought about that? Did he really wanted Tsunayoshi... his _brother_ to die when he did nothing wrong?

Ienari snorted. Yeah right, he did do something wrong. By staying asleep for so long, Tsunayoshi let him, the younger one, took the candidacy for Decimo. It was _his_ fault that all the pressure was pushed onto him.

He hated having the feeling that the entire world was being balanced on his shoulders.

So when Reborn expected him to stop a fight between Ryohei and _Hibari_ , he knew that he wasn't going to be able to do it. After all, he had never, _never_ been able to stop the Cloud from doing what he wants before so how was it going to be any different? (A detached part of him blamed Tsuna for Reborn's sudden decision, because if his brother - how strange was that word now - hadn't said anything, then Ienari wouldn't be in this mess.)

But Ienari resigned to his fate as he went into Hyper Dying Will mode. He knew what the result would be, and he knew that Reborn would be frowning at him after this.

And he hated it.

He never directly look at anyone's face anymore because of those stupid looks.

.

.

.

"Still weak, Herbivores." Hibari commented blandly as he looked down on the blonde and his friends.

Ienari could only clench his hands, grabbing a fistful of dirt in the process, as Hibari walked away with that _disgruntled expression_. It wasn't _his_ fault, was it? Why was it that they all expect him to be something when, clearly, he couldn't?

Byakuran's words came back haunting him.

 ** _"Though, I expected more out of the Vongola Decimo."_**

... F*** the brat.

Why does it have to be him? Why? Whywhywhywhywhy -

"Ienari-kun?" Tsuna's tentative voice added insult to injury. "Are you guys alright?"

 _Breath Ienari._ He told himself. _Everything is fine. Just **f***ing**_ **fine** _ **.**_

"Y-yeah..." The blonde mustered and sighed in frustration. He wanted nothing more than for Tsuna to leave before -

"This game of yours..." The brunet mused, flourishing a hand around the destruction for emphasis while the other was stuck in his pant pocket. "It's a bit extreme, don't you think?"

\- And Ienari snapped.

"... what would you know?"

The sudden change of attitude cause Tsuna to raise a brow. Reborn looked as though he wanted to say something but he didn't - and the blonde idly wondered if Tsuna was the cause.

... What's so _special_ about Tsuna anyways? To have his tutor care for him but never to Ienari?

Ienari stood up without any help and glared at the brunet. _That's right... What's so special about him? I'm the one who's going through sh**._

"What wouldn't I know?" Tsuna shot back, folding his arms defensively. His mouth curved into a barely noticeable frown at the gaze he received from Ienari. It was filled with anger mixed in with frustration, exhaustion, jealousy, but most of all, hatred.

" _Every-f***ing-thing!_ " The blonde hissed, grinding his teeth together. "You're weak, pathetic - you know what, I don't have to waste my breath with someone as ignorantly _pathetic_ as you! You coming into my sh** of a life just created more crap that I don't want!"

 _Because you'll never understand what I have to go through. All the pressure, all those judging eyes..._ **everything** _. You'll never feel like you have to be like some impossible miracle worker._

"Baka-Nari..." Reborn pulled his fedora down, sounding disgruntled. "Don't say that to your family."

"What family?!" Ienari snarled, glaring at his tutor, throwing all caution to the wind. "I don't even _remember_ having a f***ing twin!"

Tsuna ignored the fact that he just flinched, it was just a small jot anyway. He had memories of this world's Tsunayoshi, so it _did_ affect the brunet a little when his twin brother didn't acknowledge the same blood that course through their veins.

"I was perfectly _fine_ as a single child, y'know! But now I have _you_ to deal with!" Ienari pointed at Tsuna. "I can't even imagine how sh***y _dumb_ you must be to think that this is all just a _game_! Some _brother_ you turn out to be."

Reborn made to speak but a look from Tsuna stopped him. This discreet gesture didn't go unnoticed by Ienari, and it fuel his hatred because _why was Reborn giving consideration to ... to him?!_

"SAWADA!" Ryohei roared, who had been listening in along with Gokudera and Yamamoto, a punch flying towards the boy's cheek. "I won't let you say those things to your brother!"

 _He already did..._ Tsuna mused sardonically as Ienari stopped the punch with his hand and pushed Ryohei away.

 _"I DON'T HAVE A BROTHER!"_ Tsuna visibly cringed this time but said nothing. "If I _did_ then he would have understood what I have to go through _\- not just think this is all a **stupid game** for god's sake!_ Then maybe _someone_ would be able to share this crappy burden! But _of course_ , no one - **no one** \- can do that!"

"This..." The blonde went back to pointing accusingly at Tsuna all the while glaring still. "This **_stranger_ ** shouldn't even have existed in the first place, much less claim to be a brother I never had!"

"J-Juudaime..." Gokudera bit his lips when no other words came.

"N-Nari..." Yamamoto spoke tentatively, hands raised as if dealing with something delicate - which was probably true. "C-calm down."

Ienari was taking deep breathes after the outburst but when his Rain and Storm spoke up, something else snapped.

"Shut up." The blonde glowered, voice colder than the arctics. "I don't _need_ you guys to comfort me. You were never there before. It's either 'Juudaime this' or 'Nari that'. Have you guys ever thought of me when you open those mouth of yours?"

"Of course!"

" **No.** " Ienari tacked on after Gokudera's instant - almost desperate - reply. The blonde took a step forth, making the two go back in sync. "See? Even now, you still keep away. You guys always ask me to help you with your sh***y problems but you _never f***ing realized mine._ Guardians my a**."

"... Ienari." Tsuna narrowed his sunset orange eyes, but his brother cut him off before the brunet has the chance to speak further.

"Oh what, now you think you're f***ing better than me by dropping the stupid honorific?" He spat. "Listen up _Tsunayoshi, I never saw you and I will never see you as my brother_. I repeat, **I _don't have_ an effin' brother!**"

"..."

Ienari stalked off to who-knows-where once his point was made, leaving silence to befall those that were still present.

(And the scale that the Sky desperately tried to keep in balance finally tips, leading to the Sky's road down Discord.)

.

.

.

"Well," Tsuna deadpanned and rightfully put-off to break the tension. "Someone needed to blow off steam."

"Blow off steam?" Gokudera snapped at the brunet. "This is all your f***ing -"

"Don't you _dare_ put all the blame on me." Tsuna _glare,_ frustration also piling up.

"Who are you ordering around?!" Gokudera growled. "You're just the no-good copy of Juudaime!"

Tsuna's heart clenched at the jeer, and it took a lot of effort to not show it through his face.

"We are _not_ going to have this talk right now, **understand**?" His eyes glowed an orange hue, a hint of hardness and a lot more _authority_ that left no room for discussion. He closed them briefly to calm down and retract the aura that he had accidentally released.

He shifted slightly on his feet, facing Ienari's Sun, Rain, and Storm with a steel-hard gaze that he rarely wore. He knew that he wasn't going to just stay by the sidelines now.

Not with Ienari in that unstable state and it wasn't in Tsuna's nature to leave someone like that to their own devices. He had heard the desperate cries of help behind his brother's mask and that was all the push Tsuna needed to reach out.

"Then... who do you expect us to blame it on?" Yamamoto voiced quietly, going back on topic. "He would have been fine if..."

"Putting the blame on something or someone else doesn't solve anything." Reborn remarked. "All of you should know that already."

"Ienari's _my brother_." Tsuna added matter-of-factly, his hands back in his pockets and clenching. Hard. He may not have a blood-sibling in the past but that doesn't mean he doesn't _care_ for his brother. He had hoped for one once upon a time, but that was before his family started filling up with all sorts brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles he would trade his life for in a heartbeat if asked to. "And I know he's right. I have been absent in his life for seven years. _Seven_. Ienari developed an independence that he shouldn't have. I don't know exactly _what_ he's going through to put that much pressure on his shoulders..."

Tsuna's frame trembled, face twisted in frustration. "But it shouldn't be this."

Before any of the three could speak, Tsuna silence them with a hard look.

"I'm not blaming _any_ of you. Understand?" He sighed and ran a hand down his face, shoulders sagging with new weight. "Just... could you all just go back and think on what he said? I don't know you guys well enough, but I can sense the truth in Ienari's words. He wasn't lying."

"How would you know?" Gokudera eyed the brunet suspiciously.

"Intuition." Was all Tsuna answered before he left the scene.

* * *

 **Now we move onto Ienari and his guardians' developments and changing views :D**

 **Ienari's not all that bad, honestly. His world is basically being shaped by the opinions of those around him, so he had no say in what he does. His every move was being watched and judged... probably ever since the first time he went to Italy.**

 **And the plot thickens. Dun dun dun. (After twenty chapters. Wow. I'm slow at this.)**

 **Thanks to** _PhantomCielo27, nyanchan113, nessa11997, Chi-chan, Crazzyy Anime Fan, Sora Rider X, D C JoKeR H S, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Jkhoj, thor94, Kuki-Chan, sousie, Chew Chew, GreenDrkness, TheSilverHunt3r_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	21. Reaching Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 ** _"Nari, you can do this right?"_**

 **Little Ienari had nodded happily towards the father he had looked up to so much.**

 ** _"Of course he can, he has the blood of Vongola after all!"_**

 **He had been proud of that.**

 ** _"As expected of Ienari-dono!"_**

 **It filled him with pride.**

 ** _"We expect great things from you Ienari."_**

 **Then it became too much.**

 ** _"I hope Vongola Decimo will be able to bring Vongola back it its glorious days."_**

 **Why are they putting such a heavy burden on him? He's only _fourteen_ \- not even an adult yet.**

 ** _"I expected you to be able to do at least that Ienari."_**

 **But... but he did his best. Wasn't that enough? _Wasn't it?!_**

 ** _"I'm disappointed in you son."_**

 **No...**

 **His father had looked at him with those eyes for the first time those words hit harder than anyone else's could have. And everything just shattered inside because he couldn't become someone they could be proud of, someone that** _wasn't himself_ -

 _Stop. Stopstopstopstop_ ** _STOP!_**

Ienari couldn't take it anymore. He just _couldn't_. Can't anyone see that he was breaking? Why the f*** do they have to put weight after weight after weight on his shoulder when there was no more room for them to it put on?!

He tried to calm himself down, but it wasn't working. He needed to leave, Ienari decided. To get out of this school - he doesn't care if Hibari was going to bite him to death, he just wants _out._

So he ran. Ran as fast as he could, as _far_ as he could. But there's something - _there's_ _always something_ \- that pulled him, chained him back to the life that he wished he never had.

Danger always lurked around the corner and he was expected to come out - from a bomb, gun fights, sword fights, fights with flames against those with tens of more times experience than him - _alive?_

That's complete bull.

He's no superhuman even if he tries to be.

His throat constricted and he felt it hard to breathe. He grabbed the front of his shirt, willing himself to stop hyperventilating.

Ienari sensed something - or _someone_ \- approaching him behind thanks to his Intuition and he reacted by enclosing a hand on whatever that was trying to grab his shoulder. "Who..."

His voice died out when -

 _Oh. It's **him**._

\- chestnut brown filled with hatred and frustration clashed against calmed sunset-orange, it was as if the other had _nothing_ to do with the current development. (If his mind had been clear, he would've wondered how Tsuna was able to track him all the way out here without him noticing.)

"Ienari -"

"Don't you _dare_ call me by my given name." The blonde hissed venomously. "You have _no rights_ to do so."

Tsuna sighed and more flames were fanned into Ienari's ire because it felt like he was being treated like a kid and he had no rights to -

 ** _Smack!_**

\- Ienari fell onto the ground, holding the soon-to-be swollen cheek as he stared at Tsuna, who was still at the end of the follow through of a punch, in shock. The apathetic gaze that the brunet was giving after the he had _punched_ Ienari made something in the latter to _flare._ "You... what the _hell_ was that for, you b*****d?!"

"..."

"Don't think for a second that you're looking down on me -"

"Ienari."

"WHAT?!"

"Shut up."

"..." _What. The. F***._

"Now," Tsuna straightened up, cranking his neck as he continued to look down - _how dare he look down on me!_ \- on Ienari. "For your question, that was _brotherly love_."

"... brotherly love." Ienari slowly reiterated darkly, upper part of his face overshadowed just as how the dark clouds were now hiding the sky away in prepare for rain. " _Brotherly love_. What. The. F***ing -"

Ienari struck back with his fist, aiming for the chest, and Tsuna didn't dodge.

"- _Hell_ gives you any right to be my brother?!" The blonde exclaimed, preventing Tsuna from stumbling back by grabbing him by the collar. The rain had started to fall, drenching them but neither noticed nor did they cared to notice at the moment. "None _whatsoever_!"

"..." Tsuna silently lifted his hands, enclosing them over Ienari's fists and without warning, he flipped the blonde over his shoulder and onto the ground without mercy. "Just the fact that I _care_ , Ienari."

The latter pushed himself up and lunged for Tsuna, tackling him to the ground and both of them started brawling from there.

"You care?" Ienari aimed a punch towards the older's face but met with the ground. The pain was numbed from his quelling anger just as the rain got heavier and heavier. "Hah, that's a laugh! You were never _f***ing there!_ You never _once_ asked me what kind of sh** that I have to go through!"

"Well," Tsuna rolled to the side, letting Ienari fall underneath this time as they wrestled. Frustrations of his own welled up in his chest when facing against a stubborn family member who refuses to see the world outside of the box. He could see the angry orange flames in Ienari's eyes, burning yet appearing dull and sickly. Like Byakuran said, Ienari lacks the Harmony that would make him a proper Sky. "You shouldn't have acted so distant. How am I supposed to approach you when you're always walking away from me?"

His brother was tittering between safety and falling, and if he doesn't resolve this, then Ienari would only be left with the damp cold despair and pain that Discord brought.

"That's your problem!" Ienari grunted, rolling over and kneeing Tsuna in the stomach so that the latter could release his fists. He really wanted to punch the _sh**_ out of Tsuna's face and release his bottled up anger; though, he was disappointed when Tsuna not only not let go, but he had gained the upper hand again.

Hearing Ienari's accusation, something in Tsuna just _snapped_.

"My problem?" Tsuna reiterated sardonically, letting out a crude laugh that momentarily startled Ienari. It sounded so broken, so _hurt,_ nothing like the nonchalant, but polite tones that he had heard since they met. Sunset-orange eyes narrowed, anger - _angerfrustrationhelplessness_ \- was directed at Ienari and something past him.

"How the _f***_ -" Ienari was stunned this time because Tsuna didn't seem like someone who would cuss "- is it my 'problem' when you're being a sh***y brat who's scared of even stepping out of his crappy comfort zone?! Do you f***ing _know_ what kind of problems _I_ have? What kind of sh***y problems everyone _else_ have?!"

"I..." Ienari tried to swipe at his brother's leg in momentary panic, but the other arched his torso at an angle, then brought himself around and used the momentum to lash out a kick - how the heck was Tsuna better at fighting than he was?!

"You don't, do you." Tsuna answered his own question, hands firm on pinning Ienari to the ground. His voice had mellowed down and his piercing gaze as soften. No matter what Ienari had said about him earlier that day, Tsuna was going to reach out to the falling Sky. Tsunayoshi would have wanted this too. He may have failed once, but Tsuna won't let it happen again.

"So what if I don't?!" Ienari rebutted, trying to struggling free but dammit, Tsuna had such a strong grip! "They don't know mine either! _No one does!"_

With renewed strength from his anger, he managed to rip away from Tsuna's hold. He rolled away and pushed up onto his knees, one hand grabbing fistful of dirt while the other wiping the bits of blood from his lips when he accidentally bit the inside of his cheek because of Tsuna's previous hit. " _No one_ knows the f***ing pressure that they put on me! Everyone thinks I'm some sort of _superhuman_ that can fulfill their expectations when I'm just a _f***ing normal human being!_ "

"..."

"I tried my hardest to satisfy everyone but then what happens? They're f***ing _disappointed_ because I couldn't do something _out_ of their expectations. Like, what. The. _ **F*****._ " Ienari glowered, eyes flashing an angry orange. He tackled again, but this time, Tsuna grabbed both fists, locking them into a stalemate, their feet scraping against the ground as they tried to push at each other as if they were participating in Sumo Wrestling. "They never cared what happens to me. Vongola doesn't care. Reborn doesn't care. My so-called friends doesn't care. Mom and _you_ know _nothing_ so you two couldn't possibly care in the ignorant lives you live in _._ Dad had long lost faith in me so he doesn't give a sh** either! _No one does!_ When I had to fight for my f***ing life that one time to be _accepted_ , all I got was a pat on the back!"

"Ienari -"

"A sh***y pat on my f***ing back!"

"Ie -"

"Do you _know_ how frustrating that is?!" The blonde decided to butt heads against Tsuna, causing the latter to lose the stalemate and stumbling back with a red mark on his forehead. "DO YOU?!"

His flames flared, its aura wrapping around Ienari like a shield to wear off everyone who dared to come close, yet it was weak - _weakweak **dying**_. The color too dull now that it was leading towards a sickly brown that seemed to be eroding away.

"For God's sake, _Ienari,_ " Tsuna uttered in near exasperation. He then had to take a hold of Ienari's arm to stop the latter from moving too much and to have him listen to him. "I know it's my fault for not being there for you most of the time -"

"No sh** Sherlock!"

"- but you need to stop this. Stop bottling everything up in yourself!" Tsuna swiped the other's feet from under and pinned him against the ground once more with the blonde's back facing up.

"Get the fu -"

" _Shut up. And listen_ ," Tsuna seethed and even under the downpour, the brunet made his authority loud and clear. He willed his Sky flames' aura to roar and wrapped around the weakened - _sickly_ \- flames that Ienari had unconsciously emitted, slowly penetrating into the defenses that Ienari put around himself. They wrapped around Ienari's flames gently and purified the sickly dull flames, letting the latter's color slowly, but surely, return to what it once was. "Your _friends_ are here for you. _Right now_. They're waiting for you to reach out to them. _I'm_ waiting for the time when that comes. After all, I'm your _brother_ , aren't I Ienari? "

Tsuna released Ienari, allowing the other to turn over and finally, _willingly_ looked eye-to-eye with Tsuna. The warmth from the sunset-orange orbs made Ienari feel that same familiar safety that he always felt when he - when he was... with his... brother...?

(The foreign Sky flames burrowed deeper into Ienari's mind, reaching the place where forgotten memories were once sealed. It flared and burned away as much of the chains as it could before disappearing. Although the chains regrew, it was no longer what it had once been.)

"Didn't I promise to **always be your friend no matter what?** "

With his eyes wide in surprise, the blonde wasn't sure but he could've swore that his brother's child-like voice had been mixed in with Tsuna's current calming tone.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **"Nari-kun, wait up!"**

 **"Onii-san, let's go on the swings!"**

 **"Ne, what did grandpa do to you Onii-san?"**

 **"I... I don't know... but I feel weird - wah!"**

 **"Onii-san?! Are you okay?!"**

 **"Ah... I don't feel normal. I can't walk without falling anymore..."**

 **"... MOOOOOMMMM! ONII-SAN'S BROKEN!"**

 **...**

 **"What's wrong Nari-kun?"**

 **"Those kids at school said I should stop playing with Onii-san if I want to be their friends. B-but I want to play with Onii-san..."**

 **"Don't worry about them, I won't leave even if you tell me to Nari-kun! You're my little brother after all!"**

 **"... P-promise?"**

 **"Un! I promise I will always be Nari-kun's friend and nothing will stop me!"**

 **"Onii-san is the best after all!"**

 **.**

 **.**

 _Onii-san... is the... best...?_

.

.

"I won't force you to accept those around you." Tsuna turned to leave, but not before flashing Ienari a smile. "But doesn't it feel nice to let everything off of your chest?"

"..." Ienari stay rooted in his spot as the brunet walked away. The rain had slowly let up, but he wasn't sure if that was the cause for how his shoulders seemed to have gotten lighter just the slightest bit.

The addition of a weight - a physical one - on his shoulder in the form of one Reborn snapped the blonde out of his daze.

"Baka-Nari."

"R-Reborn..." Ienari mumbled, flinching when he thought that his tutor might kick him or something because of his stupidity.

However, much to Ienari's relief and confusion, Reborn didn't do such thing. Instead, the infant hitman visibly sighed, tugging his fedora down as he hopped down.

"You're my student."

"...?" Ienari didn't know where this was going at all.

"So remember this," Reborn looked up up, beady eyes steady yet warm for once. "I don't allow my students to behave so pathetically over stupid things."

"..." Ienari blinked before he slowly realized what his tutor meant. It had been Reborn's way of telling Ienari that he _does_ care.

And the dark clouds made way for the clear blue sky that had been absent for far too long.

* * *

Tsuna's hand played with the pocket watch absentmindedly. But when his hand twitch, he frowned. Dear lord, he really had gotten used to those daily sparring in his other life that he was just _itching_ to punch something - especially when all of his pent up frustrations didn't have anywhere to go just yet. Well... he did release some on Ienari but that was an accident! He had only meant to talk some sense into that brother of his, not - not...

"Ugh..." Tsuna grumbled, not wanting to think anymore than he had already did. Everything about this world was just _wrong_ and no one, _absolutely no one,_ seem to be able - or even be _willing_ to fix it for that matter!

Tsuna groaned when he realized that he wasn't cut out for this role. Not only did he have to find Kawahira, Talbot, and the _freakin_ ' _Vindice_ (He needed to hunt down Kawahira first if he wanted to convince the Vindice but right now, he has no leads whatsoever - why does the immortal man have to move around so much?!) to break the Arcobaleno curse... now he need to add fixing the _entire goddamn bond of Vongola_ to the list because Ienari obviously has a problem, and from the look of things, so does the rest of the guardians damn it and - dear god, _the Simons!_

Tsuna wanted to groan. How could he forget about the Simons?! (Then again, he had been wallowing in his own misery up until recently... He should really start getting his sh** together now.)

At least he was looking forward to meeting his best friend... and hope that they'll get along like in the past - or future or whatever. (Then he had to think about Daemon and all that fun stuff and Tsuna wondered if he should've just chosen to stay dead in the first place.)

... and he would soon realize that he had been directly involved with Vongola, because of that... talk with Ienari. He had already been caught up with the drama that it was now replaced as the _first_ on his ever-stretching to-do list.

Tsuna was just too nice for his own good.

An added weight on his head caused Tsuna to open his eyes, head tilting up to meet beady onyx orbs while still ignoring the fact that his clothes were wet and there were multiple bruises on his person. They weren't that big of a deal anyways.

"Reborn." The brunet greeted with a brief smile before looking back to the handiwork he made weeks prior in the forest on the edge of Namimori. "Shouldn't you stay with Ienari?"

"... why a brawl?" The Sun Arcobaleno questioned instead of answering.

"Haven't you ever heard of 'men talk with their fists?'" The brunet chortled back. "Or, at least... that's what Ryohei always say."

"So you decided let the idiot take all his frustrations out on you." Reborn deciphered. "How considerate of you."

"That," Tsuna motioned his head slightly to the side. "or he wanders off the path until the inevitable." He thought for a moment before continuing. "I'm sure you already know this, but a Sky without Harmony isn't recognized as a proper Sky. Without the ability to balance himself, let alone stay in tune with his surroundings, it would only be a matter of time before Ienari takes a plunge into full Discord. As his brother, I can't allow that."

"... Besides," He sighed and decided to sit down on the edge of the crater. "Only a Sky would be able to bring back balance by adding balance to start off the catalyst. Just like how Byakuran needed Yuni to balanced him when he tipped."

"... you can't make yourself completely the good guy here," Reborn pointed out in a deadpan. "You were also letting off a bit of steam."

"Hehe," Tsuna chuckled lightly. "Guilty as charge~"

"Against my student."

"He's also my brother y'know..."

"But against _my_ student."

"Ah... here comes Reborn's twisted superiority complex."

 _Click._

"What." Leon had been morphed into a gun and was now being wrapped in the hitman's tiny hands. "Did you say?"

"Haha..." Tsuna cautiously scooted away, grinning sheepishly. "The moon sure looks bright right now!"

"... That's the _sun_."

"Oh. Right." Well, Tsuna was done for.

"Anything else before I shoot?"

" ** _Um..._** don't shoot? _"_

 _Bang!_

Tsuna dropped down, rolled, and ended up exercising his dodging skills for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

Ienari stared absentmindedly at the mug of steaming hot chocolate that his mother had made for him in his hands. He had been walking around aimlessly, wasting time before going home because, well, he practically skipped school and that was something he rather not let Nana know. (He could've lied but that didn't sit well with his already too guilty of a conscience.)

When he returned to the Sawada residence, his mother had been first horrified at the fact that Ienari had been soaking wet, then she demanded the blonde to go take a warm shower and change into dry clothes before coming down to the kitchen for something to eat.

... At least before Reborn left, he had been considerate enough to heal the bruises from that fight with... with Tsuna.

His grip on the porcelain mug tightened when his thoughts led back to what had him in his current state. He had... _remembered_ \- at least part of his childhood that held the brunet in it. Everything up to the point of age eight but nothing further. Even so, those forgotten memories were more than enough to make Ienari feel _guilty_.

Tsuna was his _brother_ and, _dear god_ , he had _forgotten_ and _ignored_ his only brother since... since Tsuna came back!

It wasn't something he could mend, not anymore because the damage had been dealt and... and well, Ienari's not who he had once been anymore. Not one to smile all the time, not one to easily get along with anyone anymore, and most definitely _not_ that little child that had always followed his older twin everywhere,

"Na-kun?" Nana sat from across the blonde, her motherly instinct telling her that her son had things on his mind. "What's wrong?"

"H-huh?" Ienari was startled out of his thoughts. "I - um..."

The door clicking open saved Ienari from having to explain himself.

"I'm home." A soft voice carried over to the kitchen, where his mother immediately brightened up while Ienari stiffened.

"Welcome home Tsu-kun! Where have you been?"

Ienari wondered about that too. He mean, they had both skipped out on school and none of them would have actually return to Namimori High - not when there was a guarantee that Hibari would bite them to death for leaving school property during school hours - so how did Tsuna manage to come home even _later_ than him?

Said teen stood at the entrance to the kitchen, soaking wet and looking worse for wear. (Did Reborn not heal his brother too because he was a civilian?)

"Goodness," Nana huffed, hands on her hips. "Why are both of my sons coming back soaking wet and - " she gasped upon realizing that the brunet had smudges of dirt and leaves on his person along with bruises and cuts.

"Tsu-kun!" She immediately went to grab a towel to wipe away the dirt from the cuts to prevent infection. "What happened? Did you get into a fight?"

Ienari flinched, dreading for the worst.

Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes discreetly glided from Nana to his brother before the former flashed a brief assuring smile towards their mother.

"I went for a walk and tripped, is all Kaa-san."

His words left the blonde baffled ( _Why did he lie?)_ , but if Tsuna noticed, he didn't point it out.

"Kaa-san, I'll go take a shower."

"... Alright," Nana agreed reluctantly, stepping aside. "Do you want me to make something for you to eat?"

Tsuna shook his head. "I'm not that hungry."

Just by that statement alone was enough to cause a pang of guilt to hit Ienari like a freight train. He wasn't all that insensitive enough to _not_ understand the reason behind Tsuna's polite words. He was giving Ienari an escape from having to be in the same room with him for too long.

(It wasn't fair at all. Why was his stupid brother still so considerate to him after Ienari took his anger out on him?)

"Are you feeling sick, Tsu-kun?" Their parent's motherly instincts spiked, and Ienari felt jealousy. He squashed it down though, because really, it was his own fault that his mother didn't know how to approach him anymore. "Do you want to go to the doctor's?"

"No," Tsuna waved the concern off with a laugh. "I'm fine Kaa-san. Just tired."

Ienari wished he could act so naturally around their mother like that, but it was too late to regret the distance that grew between him and his family. After that lashing out at his brother, Ienari knew the gap would only widen even further. (Can it even be fixed anymore, he wondered.)

"If you so say..." Nana trailed, brows furrowed in deep concern - not at all like the oblivious trait that she always take on. "Come down whenever you feel better, okay?"

"Un." And Tsuna disappeared before Ienari could even put in his two cents' worth.

"Stop spacing off Baka-Nari." Reborn dropped down from out of nowhere with a hammer. Ienari didn't even bother to dodge it because it was pointless with or without his Intuition.

Ienari groaned, another injury added though the previous ones had healed. "Why can't you be gentler?"

"It's not in my vocabulary." Reborn cheerfully admitted.

"You and your messed up vocabulary." The blonde muttered.

"Since when did I taught you to give attitude back?"

He refrained from shivering at the gleam in Reborn's eyes (he had long accepted that his life will never be normal) and sighed. He hesitated for several long seconds before gathering up some courage to ask something that he hadn't considered before. "Hey... Reborn?"

Said infant silently gestured for Ienari to go on.

"Is it..." Ienari averted his eyes, unsure if how he should phrase his question. "Is it too late to fix things?"

"..." Reborn tugged his fedora down, hiding the smirk curling on his mouth. "Who knows."

* * *

 **Right... it was kind of difficult to get this chapter to flow in the direction I had in mind... so I hope it went smoothly? Okay, s** **o... a show of hands. Who'd wanted to see Tsuna and Ienari punch each other? (*raises hand* Well... the Tsuna punch Ienari part anyways.)**

 **On a side note, if Tsuna couldn't talk sense into his brother, then they're going speak through their fists _then_ talk. (No offense but *rolls eyes* Men.) And Tsuna has a lot of things on his to-do list.**

 **Also, issue that's been popping up here and there (I may not respond - because I don't know _what_ to respond with - but I _do_ read reviews because I like to hear you guys' opinions on things and it motivates me): Guardians. ****I consider that Vongola terminology, so Tsuna doesn't _technically_ have a need for them. He needs _Elements_ , not guardians (The number of guardians are fixed to a set while Elements are not, though I agree that it's a better balance to have at least one of each Elements. I have more to say on the distinctions between the two but I won't. Too long). Tsuna's bonds with others can be both subtle and blatant. If you noticed the subtle ones, great, but if you _don't_ notice the more obvious ones... then I think there's something wrong with my writing. (Case in point, Ienari. Right now.)**

 *****Spoiler(?): I'd like to point out that I never did say Tsuna _couldn't_ bond with his brother and his friends. I just said they can't be his _guardians._ And Tsuna _must_ take in consideration of the future when _he_ create bonds with _this_ world's Elements. Forcibly broken bonds were something I would think Tsuna would like to avoid; hence, he prefer _not_ to form bonds with anyone who doesn't _know -_ and are therefore prepared -unless it's necessary. (This issue of his will pop up again in a chapter in the _distant_ future.)**

 **Anyways, I know this is a really slow development and nothing is happening and that some of you may be fed up (I know I would if I'm not the one writing this and know what's going to come next lol) but well... I can't meet everyone's expectations so I give my sincerest apology to the unhappy readers ^^' (Plus, I don't know many chapters in total there are in this fanfic. Rough estimate is... at most 50...? My god, that's long. But judging by how many chapters I have already written... and they're getting _longer_ too ****(ー_ー ll)** **)**

 **Thanks to** _nessa11997, Crazzyy Anime Fan, okay, 20AngelsDemons04, Guest97, Kitani, KK, kyothefallenkit, Chi-chan, Nella Moonblood Royalle, Undertheskys, I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, Sora Rider X, GreenDrkness, PhantomCielo27, DiamondGoddess, Neko Nishiriu, thor94, sousie, Lucy Dei, SoraBlankShiro, ScarletRoofs, PAVeY14, TheSilverHunt3r, MintMousse, 27aquarrow72, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Herushiru, DarknessN'Death, Chew Chew, YokaiAngel, aiwataru1, Maria Aizabelle373Owlstar7, azalealady, D C JoKeR H S, sssweety, Pristar, fieryfoxpaws, Allusive Ryder, Dashusi4ka, demonix19, UnicornAkashi, Wxin, Silver Cuffs_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**

 **P.S. Just out of curiosity but what are your opinions on OCs? I personally find them interesting at times, other not - but definitely difficult to develop.**


	22. Reconcile (1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

The way of the sword, Yamamoto had promised his father, should be used to protect those important to him. His friends ( _what good are they when their friendship had always been too fragile?_ The demon in his head taunted) and his family ( _not with how weak you are currently,_ the demon continued to mock) were the ones that he held close to his heart.

Sometimes, though, he wondered if he had made the right choice.

His grip on his bamboo sword tightened as he made another practiced swing. He had been so focused on his katas that he didn't notice the other person that had entered the training dojo.

"Takeshi."

Yamamoto came to a sudden halt, startled by the voice of his father. "O-Oyaji!"

 **"You want to learn how to use the sword?" Yamamoto Tsuyoshi said, startled at the sudden request that his son raised upon entering their family restaurant.**

 **"Yeah!" Yamamoto Takeshi grinned, putting away the baseball bat he always seemed to carry. "Can I Oyaji?"**

 **"..." His father gazed intently into his son's eyes as if searching silently for the reason of the boy's sudden interest. He sighed softly when he found something that he had wished he didn't. "Takeshi, you..."**

 **"Oyaji..." The younger spoke, voice melancholic as amber-brown eyes took a sudden dark yet sad turn. "If... If I had taken interest earlier, _learned it earlier..._ then maybe - maybe Ka-"**

 **"Enough." Tsuyoshi returned his gaze back to the kitchen knife he held steadily over a raw tuna he was in the process of cutting. His eyes glazed as the past seemed to come back haunting. He closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath to soothe the lump forming in his throat. "Everything is in the past, Takeshi. You should not look back."**

 **"..."**

 **"You should continue doing what you like," Tsuyoshi advised as he continued slicing down skillfully while carefully keeping his voice even. "That's the only thing I - _we_ wish for you."**

 **Yamamoto remained silent, quietly watching his father work for a few minutes before speaking again. "I want to protect someone, Oyaji."**

 **Tsuyoshi paused once again but did not look up.**

 **"But... but I wasn't strong enough." Yamamoto balled his hands tightly into fists and shoulders trembled. "That someone may be safe now but what if - what if it happens again? I can't just stand by and watch him get hurt in the future!"**

 **There was a heavy tension in the room before Tsuyoshi finally sighed in reluctant resignation. He settled the kitchen knife down, wiped his hands on his apron, and walked out - though not before giving Yamamoto an instruction.**

 **"Follow me."**

Yamamoto brushed the memory away. That had been two years ago - and he wondered if he had done the right thing back then. He couldn't help but think of the 'what if's' that could've happened if he hadn't gotten involved. Maybe he would never have -

"Your sword in becoming dull." Tsuyoshi gave a blunt appraisal, arms crossed as he leaned against the entrance of the dojo for who-knows-how-long.

Yamamoto blinked, slowly relaxing his stance.

"If you keep practicing like that, your path will become limited."

His amber-brown eyes flashed in alarm before bitterness wash over, but he quickly hid it behind a closed-eye smile. "Haha, sorry Oyaji, I'll... I'll..."

 ** _"I don't_ need _you guys."_**

Yamamoto slowly came to a halt when he realized he wasn't sure where he was going with this. _All_ of this.

Tsuyoshi watch his son slowly lowering his gaze to the ground, his hand on the hilt of the practiced sword loosen as if he was hesitating but slowly giving up. It made him frown, wondering what had happened that would change his son so much during the past year or so. And it wasn't like he hadn't pried either because whenever he asked his son if he had anything on his mind, he only received smile - _fake and filled with secrets_ \- and a 'it's nothing' in return.

Although Tsuyoshi worries, he didn't look too deep into it. After all, if his son didn't want to talk about his problems, then Tsuyoshi could only comply to his wishes. However, seeing the change in Yamamoto over time troubled him and he noticed that his son has -

"Oyaji, did you need something?"

Yamamoto's voice brought Tsuyoshi out of his inner musing and it was _disheartening_ to see his son's smile so... so _strain_.

He shook his head to clear his mind, straightening up while he was at it. "You should take a break. You can help me with TakeSushi if you're up to it." He turned to leave, though not before mumbling - "It has been a while."

Tsuyoshi hadn't meant it to be heard but with Yamamoto developing a sharp hearing, it was inevitable. His smile dropped as guilt overcame the ravenet when he heard his father's soft words to himself.

Yamamoto looked at the bamboo sword in his hand, then at Tsuyoshi's retreating back. He sighed before putting the practice sword away.

It really has been a while since he helped out... hasn't it?

* * *

The house was _insufferable_ , Tsuna concluded the moment he managed to slip out. It wasn't that the brunet didn't like staying at his own house but... but _Ienari_.

The blonde was just so... _awkward_ in too many ways that Tsuna didn't want to bother listing. He knew that the boy wanted to say _something_ \- just seeing the distraught look in his chestnut-brown eyes were enough to give Tsuna a few ideas of what Ienari was trying to tell him. If he was to compare Chrome with his brother, then... well, Chrome was just _shy_ while Ienari was on a whole different level in of awkwardness.

Reborn was very much amused while he just watched from the sidelines while Tsuna was exasperated at the glances that Ienari shot back and forth at him and the floor - the blonde had stayed rooted on the spot the moment he entered the living room. In the end, Ienari didn't have the _courage -_ \- and the blonde was supposed to be the apple in their classmates' eyes?! - and that had gone on for the _whole morning_ and Tsuna, getting tired of it, finally decided to make up an excuse and left.

Mind you, Tsuna would very much be glad if he and his brother could reconcile but... it had to be Ienari who makes the attempt first. After all, Ienari needed to find his way by himself or he would continue to be influence by someone else's decision. (And forever a puppet to others' bidding.)

Small steps, Tsuna hoped, Ienari just had to make that one _tiny_ step to regain back control over his life. And honestly, the only link between Ienari and everyone else was Reborn (through blatant force and manipulation but that wasn't the point). That was the first thing that needed to be fixed.

Well... with the way Ienari lacks confidence in himself, it might take some time. Nevertheless, Tsuna wasn't the epitome of patience for nothing; besides, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Tsuna huffed as he walked down the street, hands stuffed into his pockets as a cool breeze swept by - it was well into winter after all and almost two and a half month since he came to this world.

"Time really flew." Tsuna quirked a mirthless smile as he wandered around the neighborhood, kicking a can when he had found the chance. He followed it as it rolled along concrete and when it stopped, he picked it up and looked for the nearest trashcan. (He wasn't just going to leave it on the ground y'know. That would be littering!)

"Eh? Sawada?"

"Hm?" Tsuna let his gaze travel to the source of the voice and found himself being stared at by one Yamamoto Takeshi. From the boxes he had in his hands, the ravenet was on a delivery errand.

"Oh, hello, Yamamoto-kun."

Yamamoto didn't know why, but, now, just _looking_ at Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes gave him the shivers. Because when he had saw Sawada sunayoshi for the first time - not when they first met, but _really_ saw him, Yamamoto had been at a lost for words to describe his thoughts. That day when Tsuna had told them to... well, to _shut up_ \- practically _gave them the order -_ Yamamoto had been really surprised to see the brunet's eyes glowed an orange hue. If he hadn't known Tsuna is related to Ienari, then he would have thought the glowing orange was just the trick of light. The stern voice further confirmed that it wasn't just a trick - and it held so, _so_ much more _power_ than he had ever heard from anyone! (Barring Reborn of course.)

He has this feeling that he shouldn't - nor want to - disobey when Tsuna took on that tone and it wasn't a _bad_ feeling per se. It just felt... right.

Then there was this... this strange _feeling_ of _anger_ when Ienari just exploded on the brunet like that. He wasn't sure where that originated from but Yamamoto hadn't been exactly happy when he heard what Ienari said about his brother. However, he didn't defend Tsuna because he could somewhat sympathize with Ienari. After all, it was a hard adjustment when a family member (who he thought never existed until then) came back from the dead - what else could you describe someone who woke back up after seven years?

"Fancy meeting you here Sawada!" Yamamoto decided to greet with a grin.

"Right back at you," Tsuna answered with an arched brow, dropping the can into the trashcan with a - _clunk!_ \- and directed his full attention towards Yamamoto. "What are you doing here?"

"Delivery." Yamamoto held up the sushi boxes in his hand as proof. "My family owns a sushi restaurant and I'm helping!"

"Oh?" There was a pregnant pause as Tsuna just looked at the items in Yamamoto's hand before returning back to the teen himself. The latter almost _freeze up_ on the analytical gaze before forcing himself to relax. He couldn't help but frown at his near-involuntary action just then. He had never done that before in Tsuna presence, so why now? However, if he were to describe this uncertain nervousness just now, then it was that he was... waiting...?

It was weird, that was all Yamamoto could think of.

"That's nice of you." Tsuna's voice regained Yamamoto's attention and the latter's shoulders _relaxed_ \- when did they tense up again?

"Haha, thanks!" Several thoughts popped into Yamamoto's mind, wondering how Tsuna seemed so... _natural_ despite both of them starting on the wrong foot. "What about you?"

"A walk." Tsuna answered succinctly, then shifted his weight on his other foot. His eyes traveling up to the sky thoughtfully before going back to the ravenet. "I thought - don't you have practice? I mean, I heard you like baseball..."

Yamamoto froze, and there was an instant flood of confusion and concern in the other's eyes.

The sudden reaction made Tsuna worried even if he had no idea what was going on. It also brought suspicion when Yamamoto answered with a - "Oh, that." Then there was the dark and gloom hung over his heads in abundance - or what it looked like to the brunet. The sudden drop of his smile was definitely new, the deep frown was another, and definitely gave alarmed Tsuna's Intuition. His eyes were too serious yet dull at the same time.

"Yamamoto-kun?" The brunet spoke cautiously after his analysis.

"... haven't played it for a while now." Yamamoto gave a strained smile. Too strain that it caused alarms to blare in the other.

 _What._ Tsuna blinked. Now that was one of the major differences.

"I... errm..." Tsuna scratched the back of his head sheepishly, knowing that he brought on a sore topic for the former athlete. "I'm... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

Yamamoto was surprised at first. Tsuna had nothing to apologize for since he didn't know. He knew absolutely nothing, yet he took the responsibility for the former baseball player's grim look. He felt repentant for making Tsuna feel guilty - when he saw him look so penitent like a child who was caught stealing from a cookie jar, Yamamoto felt like he committed murder against a puppy.

It was _not_ a good feeling.

Yamamoto forgo the horrid expression (he had no doubt he was wearing it) within a second, replaced with a laugh. "Nothing to apologize for! I just found something else better to focus on, is all!"

Tsuna was on his toes when he heard the fake rings of laughter, though Yamamoto didn't notice the practiced subtlety. The brunet narrowed his eyes in suspicion (now that, wasn't subtle at all). "Right..."

"People's tastes change, I guess." Tsuna shrugged, accepting his words without prying further. Yamamoto was somewhat relief but also somewhat annoyed that Tsuna didn't ask. Albeit when he saw his eyes again, Yamamoto got the hint - Tsuna was there to listen if he ever wanted to explain himself.

 _Tell him now, he'll understand, he'll help_ \- he squashed those inexplicable yearnings because they were certainly not _his_. (They weren't even friends yet!)

"Um... I'll be on my way now."

"Ah, erm - wait!"

Tsuna paused and looked over his shoulder with a guarded expression.

Yamamoto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Hold on a sec alright? Let me make the delivery first, it's my last one."

"... alright." Tsuna answered slowly but Yamamoto could read between the lines and he found the boy was surprisingly sharp and perceptive.

 _Why,_ was what Tsuna seemed to be silently asking.

"I just want to get to know you better," Yamamoto grinned, the answer seem to be accepted because Tsuna relaxed somewhat. The brunet watched him walked up to the house he was originally intended for, ring the door bell, and completed his errand in no time soon.

Yamamoto came back within minutes and somewhat relieved that Tsuna didn't leave. He didn't know what compelled him to interact with the brunet, but when he thought about it, it felt _natural_ to be around the other despite both of them starting on the wrong foot. "So, where are you going?"

"Nowhere in particular," Tsuna answered with a light shrug. "My feet are doing all the piloting."

"Haha, I didn't know you can be funny, Sawada!" Tsuna restrained from correcting the former baseball ace as they (with Yamamoto's bike as well) resumed walking down random street. "You really are an interesting guy - Oh, look! I don't know if you know this but..." And he went on to rambling about the all sorts of things that happened recently.

The brunet relished in the company of the unexpected companion (but he was by no means unwelcome) but he kept an eye of the tensed shoulders of the Rain. Everything about his face - the smiles, the laughter - screamed - _Fakefakefakethey'reallfake!_

He didn't like it, not when he had seen it on his friend ( _Nonono, not a friend._ Tsuna corrected in his head _. My friend isn't here anymore_ ) before and it led to horrible consequences that Tsuna remembered all too clearly.

He stopped abruptly, which led the other to stop a few feet ahead of him.

"Sawada?" Yamamoto asked with a tilt of his head, wondering Tsuna halted.

Tsuna's lips thinned into a line and his bangs hiding the emotions that were undoubtedly showing in his eyes "Stop it."

"Stop..." Yamamoto blinked in confusion. "What?"

"If you have something on your mind..." Tsuna kept his face carefully blank as he looked at the former baseball jock in the eye ( _Stay detached. You're only a spectator)_. "Then say it. No need to go through the trouble of pretending to be happy when you're obviously not."

"..." Yamamoto's eyes flashed darkly, then he laughed awkwardly. "W-what are you-"

"It's suffocating," Tsuna spatted, hands tucked into his pockets so to hide the fists clenching unbearably tight. "To see people hiding behind masks and telling themselves that nothing is wrong and life is good. Yamamoto-kun, I could care less about the recent changes in Namimori since I came back. I expected changes, good and bad. Changes are necessary for the future. Even if they're unexpected and undesirable. You can't always dwell in the past."

When Yamamoto didn't utter a single word to Tsuna's monologue, the latter sighed tiredly. He had to look away when the images started to distort to an unwelcoming scene. This was too taxing on his emotional state. (Then again, his family was his world.)"Look, I -"

"You sound like you're pretty high up there." He finally spoke and the cold words pierced Tsuna like glass shards. "Must be nice to have no worries other than just trying to fit back into everyday life, huh? You must have it easy."

"..." Tsuna could feel the liquid seeping down his hands for the second time and Tsuna saw _red -_ _Redbloodred bloodonthegroundthewallsthebodies whyistheresomuchred?!_ \- If it wasn't for the comforting flames from the pocket watch hidden under his shirt as well as Natsu sensing the change, his own flames would have went wild under the emotional turmoil that suddenly flooded the dam. (And he had thought he was way pass that already.)

Yamamoto watched the brunet carefully and saw the emotions that he evoked. They were... how could he describe it? Negativity? Anger? Chaotic? - Chaotic. That sounded about right. Something inside of him nagged - _Lookatwhatyoudid!Apologizerigthnow! -_ but he ignored it; squashed it down because _they weren't his_.

He did feel a pang of guilt now for the dampening atmosphere that paraded between them when Tsuna was just trying to give him advice. How the brunet was able to pick up that there was something troubling him astounded him. Ienari, as he saw it, wasn't sensitive enough to detect it. Reborn could, but the kid could do nothing more than tell him to settle it himself before it could cause any sort of problems. After all, Reborn may be a tutor, but he was still a cold-blooded hitman.

"You're right," Tsuna said after a while, a brilliant smile that was a stark contrast to the gloom that was around him before. Except... it was _too_ bright to be real. "All I have to worry about is how to fit back into society."

The way Tsuna said it made Yamamoto feel a chill running down his spine. Despite the lighthearted tone, he definitely heard the layer of ice beneath. It encased the brunet, creating a shield that blocked off every and all things. It made Tsuna indifferent, the bad kind.

Yamamoto found himself wanting the earlier Tsuna he talked to back. The one who was warm and understanding and accepting of each and every thing that was thrown his way.

"But I have one more advice for you Yamamoto-kun," Said person was frozen in place as Tsuna started towards him, smile still in place and eyes closed. (He didn't want to see what kind of dark look the brunet was baring anyways)

"Stop hiding," Tsuna's eyes opened and they _glowed_. "Or nothing will be washed away. Your past. Your present. Your future." Tsuna walked past Yamamoto and continued forward without looking back. " _... They will all be limited._ "

Yamamoto was left frozen in place.

.

.

.

 **"Yamamoto - above you!"**

 **"Huh?" The athlete only saw the tunnel of a purple tube that looked awfully like a bazooka coming towards him before -**

 ** _Poof!_**

 **\- he was send across space and time. He had been in awe of the rainbow-colored tunnel that he was flying through before being engulfed by a bright light. He closed his eyes in reflex and he smelled... smoke?**

 **Coughing several times, he blinked away the white spots from his vision. Seeing the strange pink smoke around him, he wondered if Ienari was up to his mafia game again. It wasn't that he didn't like to play along, but he could've at least been given a warning ahead of time, not right before.**

 **"Eh?" When the smoke disperse, he saw an unfamiliar hallway that was filled with strangely familiar yet unfamiliar adults. They seemed to be stunned at his appearance. "Where am I?"**

 **None of them answered - or was it that they're reluctant?**

 **Yamamoto frowned as he scanned around, but he only got the sense that he was in a hospital before his vision was replaced with darkness.**

 **"Don't, Take - Yamamoto."**

 **The voice sounded familiar, almost like... "Nari?"**

 **The hand covering his eyes seemed to tense up but it only confirmed Yamamoto's suspicions.**

 **"Haha, Nari, what's going on?" Yamamoto tried to pry his friend's too-large hand away. "Is this another game of yours?"**

 **"Che, none of your business sword - baseball-freak."**

 **"Eh? Gokudera?" The ravenet said with a smile. "Why do you sound so weird?"**

 **"... four minutes, Yamamoto," Ienari's voice seemed too weary, too _hopeless_. "Can you please wait four more minutes?"**

 **"... why?" Yamamoto wasn't that oblivious despite his demeanor, so he knew that something was wrong - _horribly wrong_ \- when the tension around the venue seemed to have gone up another level since his arrival.**

 **"Just... _please._ " Ienari sounded so _desperate_ that it made Yamamoto's heart lurched.**

 **"Nari, what's going on?" Despite his Sky's pleads, the ravenet wanted to know. There was an uncomfortable tightness in his chest that whatever was happening had something to do with him. Something that he wouldn't like if he found out.**

 **When silence was the response, Yamamoto got impatient. "Nari... let go."**

 **"... I can't allow that."**

 **"Nari!" Yamamoto uncharacteristically growled when the sense of urgency risen up and a pool of dread filling up in his stomach.**

 **" _Takeshi, stop._ " Ienari refused to budge but Yamamoto's strength seemed to have prevailed him in that moment because he was able to pry away Ienari's hand.**

 **"Since when did you start using -" The corner of his eyes caught something... _horrible_.**

 **Through the glass pane, he saw a man lying quietly - almost peacefully - on the bed with various life supports connected to him and bandages around his head that had blood seeping through. The first thing he thought of was that the man was weak and old - then his eyes widened by a fraction when he recognized the man as _Yamamoto Tsuyoshi,_ his **_father_ **.**

 **The last thing he saw was the slow - _too slow_ \- heart rate monitor beeping before he was once again send through the rainbow-colored tunnel.**

 **When he returned to the present, he smiled at Ienari as if nothing was wrong and continued their daily life as usual. However, that day, he silently vowed to stop treating everything so lightly, to give up his hobby and take up the sword - so as to prevent that scene from ever happening again.**

.

.

.

"... was I wrong?" Yamamoto muttered, looking down at the hands that held onto the handle of his bike. His grip tightened as frustration built up. What was he supposed to do -

 ** _"Stop hiding."_**

Tsuna's words seemed to have struck Yamamoto's core.

 ** _"You were never there before."_**

And Ienari's words made him realized that yes, _he had never been there for Ienari_. His choice of being involved with the mafia shenanigans was because of the glimpse of the future he had seen of his father dying and he knew he couldn't do anything to protect him.

The revelation struck down at Yamamoto as fast and harsh as lightning. Guilt pooled up when he realized that Ienari was _hurt and alone_ and he only stood by and watched instead of washing away the sorrow of his Sky like the Rain he was. Then there was his father that he was slowly distancing away from and - and _god_ , he felt _horrible_ of the choices he made.

Yamamoto closed his eyes and took a deep breath before looking towards the direction Tsuna disappeared off to. A small, regretful smile plaster on his face as he mumbled -

"Thank you."

\- a gratitude from the bottom of his heart.

* * *

 **And we got a view of Yamamoto's perspective and why he is how he is ! Eh... I don't have much else to say...**

 **Thanks to lAC,** _BlackSky83, AriaScarlet, annaita816, PhantomCielo27, Guest97, KK, Guest(3), mapplepie, Kitani, sakura190 ,Guest(2), happy reader, Jui-Imouto-Chan, Archangel0379, Jkhoj, nessa11997, thor94, Bell2629, TheSilverHunt3r, Guest (1), Undertheskys, aiwataru1, sousie, D C JoKeR H S, aoichan23, YokaiAngel , makubex000, Neko Nishiriu, GreenDrkness, Frost190, PAVeY14, Jaiyere, TheBlueMenance_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	23. Reconcile (2)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 **"Hayato."**

 **The silver-haired bomber flinched and didn't turn around. He knew the consequences of seeing his sister's face and he rather not faint on the spot if he could help it. "What?"**

 **"... You know... " Bianchi hesitated, brows furrowed in concern. "You know father hadn't meant what he said that time, right?"**

 **Anger flared immediately when the subject was brought up and he almost spun around to glare at her. Instead, he rolled his eyes and said sarcastically, "Right, and I suppose he didn't mean to get my mother pregnant either."**

 **"Hayato...!"**

 **"Listen up, Aneki," His fists clenched tightly against his side. "I'm an illegitimate child. Do you know what that means?"**

 **"..."**

 **"It means -" Gokudera punched the wall next to him, mustering enough courage to send a venomous glare at his half-sister. "-I ain't f***ing welcomed** _anywhere_ **."**

.

.

.

It was morning and Gokudera Hayato stood in front of the door to the Sawada residence, his hand hovered in front of the door as if he was about to knock but couldn't.

He hadn't dare to come over to Ienari's house for nearly two whole days but the memory of last Friday was still fresh in his mind. The livid hatred that Juudaime had towards everyone, _towards him,_ made Gokudera almost wanting to leave right there and then.

What if Ienari was still angry at him? What if Ienari no longer saw him as his Storm? His right-hand? What if Ienari doesn't need him anymore? What if - Dear god, he did _not_ want those to happen because... because... damn it, he just wanted a _place_. A place that would prove to everyone that Gokudera Hayato was not just b*****d's child and that he's _worth_ _something_ and -

\- The door opened to reveal one Sawada Tsunayoshi.

Sunset-orange clashed with emerald green and an awkward silence followed.

"... G'morning." Tsuna decided to break the silence with a greeting and a smile.

Gokudera narrowed his eyes at the brunet and his anger flared because it was _his_ fault that Ienari snapped like that. If he had just read the situation like any other person, then none of this tension would have been the result.

( _And the b*****d has the guts to greet me with a smile- ?!_ )

"Go to hell."

"... Okay?" There was a flicker of emotion that Gokudera failed to catch; instead, he was received by cool orbs that just seem to _look down_ on the silveret. (And Gokudera was supposed to be the taller one here!) "I'm sure it's nice there during this time of the year but no, I have school - which could also be consider as another kind hell if one looks at it at an angle..."

A boyish grin. "Don't you agree?"

Gokudera's hand twitched, itching to just fish out a dynamite and bomb the brat until kingdom comes but no, the brat just had to be a civilian and related to his boss. "Only if you're a retard that gives two sh** about it."

Tsuna visibly grimaced and something tugged at Gokudera's heart string - _he's insulted, you insulted him youhurthim-goapologize_ \- but the bomber squash that annoying feeling down. It had happened before whenever the brunet was concern, and to be honest, Gokudera hated that feeling of _guilt_ that washes over him whenever he tries to insult Tsuna.

And it'd only started when he had meet the wimp.

It's _Tsuna's_ fault that Gokudera keeps getting these annoying tugs to actually _beg_ _him_ for forgiveness on more than one occasion. Especially when he had seen the brunet lying so still in that f***ing hospital bed. Something inside of him had been shook violently and he had _almost_ flew to the brunet's side, blaming _himself_ for being incompetent to _protect him for f***'s sake._

Like, what. The. _F***ing. **Hell.**_

Gokudera had actually started to think Tsuna to be some sort of manipulating UMA that tried to steal his loyalty away from the Tenth. (As much as UMAs fascinated him, he refuse to bow down to the types that told him what to do.)

Tsuna sighed, massaging his temple. "Are you coming in or not? Ienari's not -"

"Ah? G-Gokudera...?!"

"- He's right here." Tsuna corrected and finish with a deadpanned after seeing Ienari returning from Reborn's morning exercises.

When Gokudera saw Ienari, he wanted to run straight to his side. However, his feet would not move no matter how much effort he tries to put in them. He glowered at his two feet for not cooperating. He was supposed to be Ienari's right-hand man! And as a right-hand man, he needed to - but - but - what if Ienari doesn't need him? What if he -

"Stop doubting the unknown and take a step forward." Tsuna's voice drawled as a hand pushed Gokudera's back. The silveret stumbled forward, towards a strangely silenced blonde. He was about to turn and curse at the brat for the sudden shove when Tsuna beat him to it.

"Ienari needs a _friend_ ," Tsuna stated softly enough that only the silveret could hear, his half-lidded eyes held firmness. "A friend, and nothing else."

"... What?"

The brunet jabbed a finger against Gokudera's chest and the latter's body tensed up for some reason. "You should know, shouldn't you? Going after superficial goals instead of seeing what's really important. You disappoint me, Gokudera Hayato."

"... _what?_ " Gokudera's anger flared up once more. Tsuna had insulted him and - and _oh god_ there was that feeling again. And it was _shame_ this time.

Tsuna looked at him apathetically and Gokudera felt like a chastened kid and - _sorrysorrysorry please don't be mad_ \- he squashed down the thought that had just entered his head. "If you have a problem with me" - _no no I don't-_ _STOP!_ \- "then just say it. You look like you want to kill me a thousand times over."

"... I..." There was a conflict in him now and Gokudera didn't know what was what anymore.

"But even so," Tsuna's gaze soften, and so does Gokudera's constricted chest. "I would still like to see you as a friend."

... The smile got him again. It was just so damn - _acceptingwarmforgiving -_ that it was everything that Gokudera _ever_ wanted.

"Who would want to be your friend." Gokudera spat instead because he refuse to bow down to this... this _ignorant brat_. He did nothing that could deserve Gokudera's loyalty and that was - _Nonono don't you dare go deciding that! -_ final...?

Tsuna looked up at the sky for a moment, a wry smile on his face. "It would be better if no one did."

The silveret was baffled as to why Tsuna had just contradicted himself.

"But that's not who I am," Tsuna chuckled, eyes locking with Reborn and Ienari's (the latter had tensed up) before turning around and walking towards the gates. "After all, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi no matter when and where."

"... hah?" Gokudera was left with the conclusion that the elder twin had gone whacko on him.

.

.

.

When Ienari returned that morning, he had been surprised to see Gokudera standing in front of his house. However, he was even more surprised when he saw that he was talking to _Tsuna_ \- and it didn't seem to be going well, considering the brunet had just pushed the bomber and was now jabbing at his chest.

"Don't." Reborn ordered when Ienari was about to walk up to them. The latter shot a questioning look at his tutor. "You'll interrupt them."

"But..."

"G'morning you two."

Reborn gave a nod of acknowledgement to Tsuna while Ienari stood to attention, spine straight as if he was going to greet a commander. (Give him a break, he had been avoiding his brother during the weekend because he didn't know how to approach him - and he _still_ didn't know how to because his thoughts were all over the place.) "G-good morning!"

"I'm going to leave first," Tsuna informed, smiling ever so politely that it made Ienari suffocate because _this was not what he wanted!_ "Could you please accompany the kids to their school when you go?"

"S-sure!"

"Thanks." Tsuna stood there for a moment, as if waiting. But then he shifted his school bag and turned. "Well, see you."

"..." Ienari watched as his brother's back disappear in the distance. He had wanted to say something, but the words were caught in his throat. Again.

Goddammit, he couldn't even -

 _Thwack!_

\- "Reborn..." Ienari whined, rubbing the bump that the one-ton Leon-hammer created.

"You're pathetic."

"I _know_."

"And he gave you a chance too."

"I kno- wait, what?" Ienari looked from where Tsuna had disappeared to and back to Reborn. "He -"

"He's not as insensitive as you." The hitman deadpanned, causing the blonde to grimace at the blunt statement. "He could already tell that you have something to say. But that's as far as he'll go. You need to take the first step, Baka-Nari. Someone who can't even step out of his box isn't worthy of leading Vongola."

Ienari sighed, already used to Reborn's hurtful - yet truthful words. But at least he knew that the infant had meant for him to grow and he was thankful for that.

"Ju...Juudaime!" Gokudera greeted tentatively, saluting.

"Good morning Gokudera," Ienari nodded back. An awkward silence came in between when neither of them spoke another word further.

The blonde felt a tug on his head and knew that Reborn was trying to push him to gather and speak his mind again. He inwardly sighed in defeat as he shifted on his feet.

"Um... Gokudera?" Ienari took in a deep breath and bow in a perfect ninety degree. His action had been so abrupt that it startled the bomber. (Reborn knew it was coming so he had jumped off before his student went through the motion.)

"Juu -"

"I-I'm really sorry!" Ienari exclaimed, eyes squeezed tight and frame tensed. "I didn't mean to say all those things to you, Yamamoto and Ryohei yesterday! I was just so frustrated and-and I shouldn't have blown up on you guys. I know a simple apology is not enough but -"

Gokudera blinked and stared as Ienari babbled on and on. A small smile started to tug on his lips while relief wash over his body in waves. He was still needed. Ienari wasn't mad at him. He could -

 ** _"Ienari needs a_ friend _."_**

\- and the bomber looked back on yesterday and, for the first time, he _saw_. The desperate cries and the heavy weighted shoulders and the breaking mask and the _walls_ and _-_ he was such an _idiot_ for not seeing sooner.

He looked back further into the past and he realized that he didn't really bother to get to _know_ Ienari as a _person_ and not something that Gokudera could - _oh god,_ he treated Ienari as a an object - _a_ _stepping stone_ because... because he wanted acknowledgement from those who'd looked down on him.

.

.

.

 ** _Pa!_**

 **Gokudera stood still, eyes dulled as his head stayed in the position that it had been slapped. His hands balled up into fists as he tried hard - _so hard_ \- not to let his mask break.**

 **"Get out of my sight." His father's voice was filled with anger and finality.**

 **The bomber could only loll his head down lifelessly and turn to leave the room that he decided to visit for once in the many years that he had ran away from.**

 **"From now on, I don't have a son like you."**

 **Gokudera paused and then laughed - almost hysterically - before spinning around and pinning his so-called _father_ with a glare that made the other flinch because it was filled with so much _hate_.**

 **"You don't have a son like me?" He seethed, pointing to himself. "Let me tell you this, _Antonio_ , I never saw the person who forced my _mother_ to her death as my parent!"**

 **"You...!"**

 **"F*** off." The bomber growled, emerald green eyes narrowed in untamed anger. "Ill show you and everyone that the Hurricane Bomb is not someone who should be looked down upon!"**

 **He stormed out before the other could make another input, ignoring his half-sister who had been eavesdropping just outside. She called out to him, but all he could hear was the shattering of his heart and what little hope he had left.**

 **He'll show him. He'll show everyone. No matter what he has to do, he's going to have a place that belongs to him and no one's going to take it away. And no one's going to ever say that he shouldn't have existed.**

 **The call from the World's Greatest Hitman had been right on time and he saw an opportunity to finally find a place to belong.**

 **If he doesn't succeed, then fine,** _he'll die trying._

.

.

.

(He has been clawing at possibilities, forgetting what was right in front of him-)

 ** _"Going after superficial goals instead of seeing what's really important. You disappoint me, Gokudera Hayato."_**

Overwhelming guilt and shame pooled up in the blink of an eye. How could he be _so_ -

"- So c-can we... can we go back to um... go back to -"

"No."

Ienari stared, heart lurching at how... how utterly harsh that answer was. He looked anywhere but the silveret as the latter had his eyes shadowed by his bangs.

"O-oh... then - um... I guess - Gokudera?!" He was suddenly alarmed when the bomber took to his needs and _dogeza'ed._ His forehead hit the ground so hard that Ienari was afraid Gokudera might get a concussion or something.

"Please forgive me!"

"... what?" Ienari didn't understand why they were now taking turns apologizing while Reborn watched from the sidelines, amused by what had transpired.

"I... I was wrong! As your right hand - no, as your _friend_ -" Ienari blinked at that - "I should've noticed if Jyuudaime was being himself! I shouldn't have - it was _wrong_ of me to rely on Jyuudaime for my own selfish reasons and -"

"Gokudera," Ienari interrupted, pulling the silveret up by the arm but the latter refuse to budge from his position. "Please get up! I - it's not your fault that I exploded like that..."

He sighed when Gokudera decided to remain silent on the matter, proving that he disagreed with Ienari and being a stubborn rock about it. "I know that I have never treated you and the others as close as _real_ _friends_ should, but - " Ienari was looking rather helpless by now and words alone could not express his current thoughts. (They never could anyways.) "- _please_ get up. You're making this more difficult as it is!"

Gokudera looked up to see Ienari smiling - not the strained ones that he was forced to show most of the time - and was that relief?

"C'mon," Ienari urged. "Can... can we talk inside? I still need to take a shower and prepare for school."

Silent, but obedient, Gokudera got up, following behind as Ienari entered the gate and head for the door. For once, both of them felt as light as a feather and Gokudera could finally sense it.

It was faint, but the warmth that was starting to present itself around Ienari finally connected with Gokudera, albeit a bit hesitant at first. And for once, the Storm finally felt the _Harmony_ that it desperately searched for as a telltale _click_ told of a newly formed connection between a Sky and his Storm.

And a moment later, Yamamoto Takeshi came knocking on Ienari's doorstep and the Rain managed to harmonized with the Sky as well.

* * *

When Ryohei passed by the school on what should be his fifth lap around town, he had heard the clang of the fences of the nearby school roof against something silver. He looked towards the building and saw two figures moving back and forth from his line of sight and that was when his interest piqued.

Something extreme was going on and Ryohei want to be a part of it too!

When the boxer entered the school building, zooming up the stairs until he saw the door to the rooftop, he heard the unmistakable sounds of punches and kicks being thrown. Thinking that it might be a boxing match, Ryohei barged onto the makeshift battleground only to see -

"Your anger is affecting your attacks."

\- One Sawada Tsunayoshi pinning Hibari Kyouya against the ground in what Ryohei saw as flawless move of a hand stationed in a chopping motion against the back of the Prefect's neck to show that if this had been real, then Hibari would have been knocked unconscious... or worst yet, he would have lost his life.

"Hn."

The brunet sighed exasperatedly, releasing his grip on the arm that he had held against Hibari's back to keep the latter down on his stomach. "Ienari is trying. Give him another chance."

The Skylark clicked his tongue, his silence was more than enough of an answer.

Tsuna rolled his eyes at the Skylark, muttering something suspicious like -"Stubborn bird" - before his sunset-orange eyes traveled to the gaping Ryohei as if he already knew the boxer had been watching.

"G'morning Sasagawa-senpai." The brunet gave a smile.

Hibari frowned at the awe-struck boxer and made to shoo Ryohei away because he had promised to make sure no one would be watching when Tsuna and he spar.

"There's no need for that," The brunet seemed to have read his mind, stopping the Skylark from biting Ryohei to death. "If it's Sasagawa-senpai, then it's fine."

"... hn."

"But your security sucks if you can't even -"

A tonfa was thrown at his face but Tsuna shifted his head instead, letting said metal stick clash against the fence behind.

"- I was joking," Tsuna smirked while Hibari just scowled and went to pluck off his tonfa.

Ryohei finally snapped out of his daze only to raise his fists into the air and shouted, "That was EXTREME Sawada!'

"Herbivore..." Hibari hissed at the volume of the voice, glaring at the boxer. The latter scratched the back of his head, grinning back sheepishly. The Skylark scoffed disdainfully and left the scene afterwards.

Tsuna frowned for a moment before he was distracted by -

"Sawada! You had an extreme fight with Hibari?" Ryohei's eyes sparked when he asked. Tsuna could only muster a smile and nodded.

"That's extreme!"

Tsuna couldn't help but find something off about the boxer. "Um... thanks?"

"Sawada, have an extreme fight with me!"

"Eh?" The brunet blinked; however, he didn't respond with an answer. He suddenly sat down instead and patted the spot in front of him, silently asking Ryohei to sit.

The boxer was confused by the gesture but obeyed nonetheless. There was this strange sensation that he got from the older Sawada twin that told him he should comply.

Seconds ticked by with Tsuna not making a sound. It made the boxer a bit unnerved because he was afraid that he might have -

"So..." Tsuna finally said, breaking Ryohei out of his thoughts. "What's up?"

"... huh?" Ryohei blinked. He offhandedly noted that Tsuna's smile seemed to be almost _blinding_ and it made him want to reciprocate it with one of his own unique sunny grins. "Great!"

Tsuna seemed to falter for a bit before sighing, ruffling his anti-gravity hair to make it even more messy - not that he really cared much in the first place. "No, seriously, what's up Sasagawa-senpai?"

The sudden shift of atmosphere came to be a bit surprising to Ryohei. Tsuna seemed to be the timid yet friendly type when Ryohei first saw the brunet, but now... there was an aura of authority in his voice, calm and firm.

It captured the Sun's attention immediately.

"I... I don't... I don't know?" Ryohei frowned, thinking deeply. He looked back up and was startled to find Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes on him. It made his insides churned at the thought that he might have off - _Answer him, he'll help._

... What. The heck was that?

Shaking the strange feeling he was getting, Ryohei shifted uncertainly. "Is there something wrong, Sawada?"

"Yeah." The narrowed eyes made that voice in Ryohei's head to prod him even more - _don't hide from the Sky._ "You."

The boxer stared at the brunet, baffled and somewhat discomforted at the thought he might have ticked off another person.

"What I'm concerned about is why the hell were you pulling a _steamroller of all things -"_ Tsuna made a face at this point. "- around school the last time we met as if you were in a parade."

"...what." Of all the things Tsuna would ask, he wanted to know _this_?

"That word is getting a bit too old." Tsuna mumbled to himself before returning attention to Ryohei. "But yes, that."

"Um... training?" Ryohei replied uncertainly. "Shouldn't that be obvious?"

Tsuna's eyes narrowed and was it just Ryohei or did Tsuna's eyes flickered an intense orange hue for a second there? He had seen Ienari's sunset-orange many times before when he enters Hyper Dying Will mode, but the ones that Ryohei just caught a glimpse of was more... fierce, for the lack of a better word, as if demanding all ears to be on the speaker of those eyes.

Then there were also the longing in them. The sad kind of longing coupled with wisdom; wisdom that a sixteen-year old _shouldn't_ have, that an experienced _adult_ should have. Then, all things considered, he saw acceptance. What the boy accepted though, Ryohei wouldn't know. But someday, he might - if the brunet would let him.

"Your body look ready to break from exhaustion." Tsuna blatantly pointed out with a lazy sweep of his gaze. "Did you just came from doing an early exercise?"

Ryohei nodded.

"... Have you ever rested before? A long one?"

That got the boxer trapped in a thinking pose.

"You should get a good night's sleep, y'know." The brunet pinched his nose with a sigh. "I don't think I'm the first one who'd told you this - please tell me I'm not."

Ryohei's frown deepened in concentration, trying to remember where he had heard similar words.

 ** _"You already have enough power stored in your body kora! Now you just need something different so go to back sleep, kora!"_**

"Oh!" Ryohei slammed his fist into his open palm at the revelation. "Master Colonello extremely said that once before the ring - err... sumo wrestling tournament!"

Tsuna mentally smile wryly when the boxer tied to cover up his mistake. He knew all about that of course - not that he'll inform Ryohei that though. "Well, this Colonello-san must be someone you respect if you address him as master."

"Of course!" Ryohei grinned. "He's extreme!"

"If he is, then you should continue to follow his advice." Tsuna suggested. "Take care of yourself - oh, and before I forget..."

The brunet leaned forward as if he had a secret to share. "I'm disappointed. I haven't heard any _extremely_ loud screams that could break my eardrums."

Ryohei paused before doing a double take just as Tsuna grinned, showering him in a ray of sunshine and all things good. A smile that told him that everything in the world was fine and going to stay fine.

"I been told by your sister, Sa - err... I guess Kyoko-san." The brunet continued from a distance apart, with a shrug to follow after him. "And I thought I might meet someone who could do that to me. It would be an interesting experience."

The boxer had to consciously force his jaw to close. He had not expected anyone to say those words to him. Most people complained that he was too loud - too _extreme_ \- and so, he always try to tone it down a bit.

.

.

.

 **"Sasagawa! Can you tone it down?!" A classmate had glared. "We're going to be deaf at this rate!"**

 **"Well you shut the f*** up Lawn head?!" Gokudera had growled venomously.**

 **Hibari had glared, tonfas out and ready to bite hi to death. "Herbivore, you're disturbing the peace."**

 **"Ow..." Yamamto had winced. "Sorry... what did you say Senpai? My ears are kinda ringing..."**

 **"Ryohei," Ienari had been exasperated. "Can you _please_ just lower your voice? Just a bit? We'll all be a bit better off that way."**

 **Sasagawa Ryohei had grinned through all of the criticisms, all of the disdain, but his grins were slowly turning less bright. The light dimmed and the shadow grew as people refused to accept who he was. Would it really be better off if he was a little quieter? A little less... extreme?**

 **"Onii-san?" His sister had asked, finding something off about him. "Are you okay?"**

 **"... I'm okay!" Ryohei had returned with another grin - a lesser one. The Sun decided then, that maybe, he should try to be something else rather than the sunny ball of light in the sky.**

 **Kyoko had frowned but she didn't continue to pry, accepting her brother's less-than-extreme answer with never-ending worries.**

.

.

.

... It felt nice... To be told to be yourself for once. To be accepted for who you are.

For the first time in a long while, Ryohei laughed boisterously.

"YOU'RE AN EXTREME GUY SAWDA!" Ryohei shouted at the top of his lungs while wondering exactly how much he had missed being as loud as he wants.

The answer? Very _extremely_ much.

Tsuna grimaced at the sudden raise in volume but did nothing to stop the boxer. He laughed lightly instead, standing up and offering a helping hand.

"You do not disappoint, Sasagawa-senpai!" He commented loudly while his ears were ringing through and through. It was worth it though, to see the _real_ Sun.

Ryohei grinned a grin that lit up the entire rooftop as he accepted Tsuna's hand, just like the Sun he's supposed to be. He promptly swung an arm around the fragile-looking brunet. "You should EXTREMELY call me Onii-san! It's the job of an upperclassman to treat his kouhais like a little brother TO THE EXTREME!"

"Then if you don't mind... Ryo-nii," Tsuna smiled hesitantly because 'Onii-san' was what he called _his_ Sun and he didn't want to get the two mixed up. "And you can call me Tsuna. There's gotta be something to separate me and my brother since we're both Sawada."

"I EXTREMELY WILL!"

"Great!" The brunet looked at the arm over his shoulder. "But um... Ryo-nii?"

Ryohei gave him a questioning look.

"Could you... maybe..."

The boxer suddenly felt anxious. Tsuna wasn't going to take back his words would he?

"Uh... release me? Please?" Tsuna asked weakly, gesturing to his wobbling frame. "I can't take that much force that you're exerting on my body. I just fought with Hibari-san after all..."

Ryohei sheepishly smiled, inwardly comforted that Tsuna wasn't going to complain about his volume. "I'm sorry to the EXTREME!"

"Thank you." The brunet released a breath of relief while Ryohei moved away. "I should really start doing more than jogging in the morning..."

The Sun perked up at Tsuna's mumbling. "You jog too?!"

"Yup."

"EXTREME!" Ryohei fist pump the air. "LET'S EXTREMELY JOG TOGETHER FROM NOW ON!"

"Ryo-nii," Tsuna smiled wryly. "I start at five AM and jog for two hours."

"... you're an EXTREME hypocrite, Tsuna!"

San teen chuckled at the remark. "But I _need_ that exercise -" _Plus a lot more._ " - to get back in shape."

Ryohei thought for a moment before clasping his hands on Tsuna's shoulders. The latter looking at him in confusion. "You should EXTREMELY join my boxing club!"

"... No..." The brunet said, looking sincerely apologetic. "I have to spend the time after school to catch up academically... seven years worth."

Well, he wasn't going to say that he didn't need to do such a thing, but... it was a good excuse to refuse the invitation. He needed those time after school for his own schedule.

When Ryohei looked so disappointed, Tsuna had to quickly add, "But maybe I'll drop by the club once in awhile!"

The somewhat of a promise made boxer brightened up like a child given his favorite dessert... but Tsuna was still adamant about not joining.

.

.

.

"Ryo-nii," Tsuna said as they scaled down the stairs from the rooftop.

"Yeah?"

"As long as you be yourself, I'm sure you'll be able to reach the sky."

Ryohei froze in his steps but Tsuna continued climbing down as if he was just having a casual conversation. "I wouldn't be surprised if you even chase all the darkness away with how sunny you are."

Tsuna finally stopped after reaching the bottom of the spiraling staircase and into the hallway where his classroom was. He looked up with a closed-eye smile. "Ryo-nii should be as bright as the sun that belongs in the sky."

"..." Ryohei wondered if Tsuna _knew_ , but before he could ask, the latter had already disappeared.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, Ryohei decided, was more complicated than he had originally thought. But Ryohei was still grateful towards the brunet for accepting him as who he is.

Now... he just needed to find Ienari because he had finally realized how much his Sky was hurting without him noticing until now. Besides, Ienari was also his surrogate little brother and it was his job to make sure there wasn't anything bothering his younger siblings.

* * *

 **Yeah... I seemed to have somehow down-graded the quality midway through so I'm sure if Ryohei's part came out like I hoped it would... :/**

 **The rest of the guardians were a lot harder than I expected so sorry if Ryohei and Gokudera's seemed a little... short. I apologize if this has disappointed some of you because I'm not that creative so I can't come up with much of a flashback for the rest of the guardians... so yeah, they're going to be short. And I'm so sorry for making Gokudera so rude towards Tsuna ;-;**

 **So yeah... grammatical mistakes... All I can say is that I'm sorry. I wish I could blame someone who this but I can't.**

 **Thanks to** _KK, niniku, Miki, Pewii, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Rainbow Cielo, FanficSeekerEme, PhantomCielo27, SweetLittleAnimeGirl, Sora Rider X, Youko Artemis, Caleo Ignacium, Chew Chew, D C JoKeR H S, HaPPy2901, Yhaelle-chii, GreenDrkness, wildcat1144, DiamondGoddess, YokaiAngel, Silver Cuffs, PAVeY14, Bell2629, TheSilverHunt3r, angelaneahwalker, aiwataru1_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	24. Reconcile (3)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Rokudo Mukuro felt it to be ironic how he hated the mafia, but had agreed to join the 'family' of one Vongola Decimo. He had planned on using the boy for his own motives, something similar to turning the entire mafia upside down and he was just waiting for the right moment.

Well... that was until he felt how Ienari's flames had been so... sickly orange-brown - the sense of discord was slowly permeating through - as time went on.

Rokudo, unlike the rest of the so-called guardians, were more experienced with flames because of obvious reasons. So it wouldn't come as a surprise if he was the first one to be able to summon them at will. (He had been somewhat startled when _Hibari_ managed to do so but then again, the Skylark was prone to violence so it was only a matter of time before he tapped into it.)

Then he had felt curious, curious of what his 'Sky's' mindsape was like for his flames to be off-kilter like that.

 **When he had succeeded into entering Ienari's mind (it had been so _easy_ was the Decimo even on his guard like he'd always been?), his smirk was put on a momentary pause.**

 **Dark - _darkdarkstormy_ \- clouds loomed over the land, the sky nowhere to be seen as if it doesn't - _couldn't_ \- exist. Everything was so _still_ \- he wondered if there were any life in this place at all. The plants withered, the soil dry, the air was so heavy that it added to gravity, making it difficult for Rokudo to _walk in the mindscape._**

 **He frowned as he looked around to confirm if there wasn't a sign of life, the sign of _Ienari_. And he did find the blonde... after about five more times of scanning around.**

 **The invader of the mind's original inhabitant slowly approached the... the _child_ that was no older than _eight_ , who was huddling into a ball and shivering all over.**

 **He knew that the mind of a person reflects the thoughts, the _truth_ of a person despite the person trying to hide it. However, he didn't think Ienari's mindset was stuck at the stage of a child. A _traumatized_ child from the looks of it.**

 **He should really be enjoying the sigh of Vongola Decimo in this kind of dire strait, but... the sight of an absolutely devastated child with no sign of life in his eyes reminded him of... well, it reminded himself of the days he lived as an experiment. It brought a mix of hate and pity for the child-Ienari.**

 **"Kufufu..." He chuckled eerily and decided to see what would happen if he tries to get the child's attention, however -**

 **"No no, get away from me!"**

 ** _Cliiink..._**

 **"Leave me alone. Leave me alone.** _Leavemealone_ **...!"**

 **\- Ienari suddenly reacted hysterically to Rokudo's presence, clutching his head and shrinking into himself, so the moment Rokudo reached his hands out, chains erupted from the desolated grounds. Rokudo had to move back to prevent himself from being entangled and watched with mixed fascination as the thick iron chains weaved with each other around Ienari, turning into a cage.**

 ** _Craaaackle..._**

 **Rokudo snapped out of his daze in alarm and saw flames starting to burn on the land even though it had been barren with nothing for the flames to feed on. He took a step back in wariness, hearing the discording cackles of these sickly Sky flames made him feel dread and the urge to leave.**

 **"Kufufu..." Rokudo chuckled, slowly forcing himself out before these flames could inflict damage to his mind. "You're more interesting than I thought, Vongola Decimo."**

Rokudo had took heed of Ienari's every actions ever since then - not because he was worried (hell would freeze over before the illusionist would worry about a _mafioso_ ) - but to find reasons to _why_ Ienari's mindscape had been like that. If he could find the cause for it, it would make taking over Ienari's body much easier because a disarrayed mind gave openings.

Besides, Ienari had never trusted him, so why would Rokudo bother to exert effort to gain it? The Sky never intended to give him shelter, so the wandering Mist will continue to wander.

He kept waiting, watching though Dokuro's eye, until the time was right. That was, until he found out Ienari actually had a _twin_.

Rokudo had been gleeful at the prospects that the elder twin could bring. Perhaps he could take over Sawada Tsunayoshi and have him declare his rights to the title of the next heir. Ienari was _weak_ , Rokudo could bring the blonde down even if he had heard that Tsunayoshi was particularly fragile.

However, when he met Sawada Tsunayoshi, he couldn't figure the boy out. Although he definitely look like he could be blown over by a breeze, the brunet's defenses were tight; his sunset-orange eyes, despite radiating - _warmwarmacceptance_ \- it had also been somewhat dull and too deep that Rokudo didn't dare to look any longer in fear of drowning. And there had also been a strange pulling sensation - but he knew that it wasn't _his_.

And the fact that Tsunayoshi pulled a fast one on him that day? Rokudo still held a grudge and was only waiting until the right time to pay back ten folds. (He had been observing the older twin just for that once chance.)

That time, as it would seem, was right at this moment when Dokuro entered the classroom and found one Sawada Tsunayoshi resting with his head faced down on his desk, his arms as his pillow.

Dokuro obediently let him take over with but a simple request, and Rokudo strode over to the brunet. He smirked at the seemingly sleeping teen, and decided to start by entering his mind to mess it up. (Rokudo didn't want to admit it, but he had also been somewhat curious as to what Tsunayoshi's mind was like - maybe it could give a clue to why Ienari's mindset was what it was.)

When he entered though, his smirk dropped immediately and was replaced with shock. Stormy clouds - similar to Ienari's yet seemed to express so much more _pain_ \- hung over the sky, the atmosphere was heavy and filled with a certain melancholy as the rain pelted down, hitting down not upon the ground but upon _corpses_.

.

.

.

Carnage.

That was the only word that Rokudo could use to describe the scene. Decapitated and dismembered bodies littered all over and oozing red forming puddles with the onslaught of - _coldcoldpainful_ \- rain. Along with the corpses were buildings in ruins and weapons splayed out broken and beyond repairs and _utter devastation_.

"You know," A voice rang out clearly through the torrent of rain, calm yet cold. "Invading someone's mind without permission is a breach of privacy. I don't particularly appreciate that."

"What...!" Rokudo spun around, his defenses uptight but his expression remained shocked as he was meet with - Sawada Tsunayoshi?

 _No... how could that be?_ The man in front of him, donned in a pristine three-piece black suit with a matching cloak draped over his shoulders, had an aura so _imposing_ and of _authority;_ his posture was upright and filled with grace and a certain confidence, narrow sunset-orange eyes sharp and cold - yet how could they be warm and gentle at the same time?

This man, Rokudo felt numbed thinking, this man whose influence could stretch as vast as the sky should not - could _not_ be that _same_ Sawada Tsunayoshi.

The man heaved a soft sigh, bringing Rokudo back from his shock. He took a hand out of his pant pocket and with a wave, the scene upon them shivered and evaporated, replacing their surroundings with blank white. "Be glad that I actually let you see what my mind was like."

"You..." Rokudo started, aghast at how Not-Tsunayoshi had been able to so easily control what went on in his own mind with a simple gesture. He suddenly felt a sense of dread at this moment, realizing just how _vulnerable_ he was in this man's territory. He should -

"There's no need for you to be so vigilant in front of me," Not-Tsunayoshi chuckled lightly as he placed his hand back into his pant pocket, an amused smirk lifted at the corner of his lips and - and why did Rokudo felt like he was being mocked at?!

"... Who are you?" The illusionist asked, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. Common sense spoke to him that the man should be dangerous just by judging the powerful aura around him but why does he feel _sheltered_ by it?

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." The brunet easily answered, and continued before Rokudo could express his doubts. "You shouldn't really be the one to question me when you're the one that invaded my mind."

"... Kufufu," Rokudo chuckled, though if one listened closely, there was a trace of nervousness. "I suppose I should apologize for the intrusion."

Tsunayoshi raised a brow. "Since when were you ever sorry for anything?"

That seemed to have hit a nerve. "Since when do _you_ know me enough to know that?"

"Mm," Tsunayoshi nodded in agreement, but the smirk never left his lips. "I suppose that's true enough - but pry tell, what do I owe the pleasure of having you as my visitor? It certainly can't be because you held a grudge against me, could it?"

"..."

"So childish..." Tsunayoshi snickered - and Rokudo _so_ wished to stab his trident in the brunet's face. "... Pineapple-san."

"... _what_ did you call me?" Rokudo hissed indignantly, he would have murder the man ten times over if he could. (The name had always struck a nerve, his head looked nothing like the tropical fruit!) But... he had a feeling he couldn't. Not here, not in reality, not when Tsunayoshi himself was able to exert so much power and a sense of _danger_ around himself.

"I was kidding!" The man grinned, eyes light and filled with laughter that it just seemed to instantly dispel whatever anger Rokudo had at that moment.

The illusionist looked the man over curiously and thinking back to the carnage that Tsunayoshi oh-so kindly allowed him to see. "What _was_ that?"

"Hm?" The brunet hummed casually with a tilt of his head, looking none the wiser.

"That.." Rokudo paused to search for the right words. "... _lovely_ scene of gore and grotesque."

"Oh, that," Tsunayoshi said dismissively. "Nothing for you to think too much into."

"..." Rokudo showed his disagreement on his face. "The mind reflects a person's experiences, their thoughts, their -"

"Their true self." Tsunayoshi finished, his gaze once again sharp and cold and it made Rokduo regret bringing the topic up because he had felt so _\- youshouldn'thavebroughtitup! -_ guilty for Tsunayoshi's sudden melancholy. "You have seen it, but... do you have the _right_ to know it?"

"I..." Rokudo felt thoroughly chastised by just that one sentence and he didn't know _why_.

"Rokudo Mukuro." Tsunayoshi spoke again. His voice had been soft, yet it demanded to be listened to. "What right do you have to force your way into someone else's personal bubble when you, yourself, haven't let others breach yours?"

The illusionist glared, feeling indignant and didn't pick up on the fact that he had never given the man his name before. "Why would I care about others? They're nothing but pawns -"

"I _dare_ you to finish that sentence." _Anger_ vibrated in Tsunayoshi's voice as _pressure_ weighted Rokudo down, preventing the latter from even _walking._

"Pawns," Tsunayoshi approached Rokudo in a slow but steady gait. "Is that all you view of any and everyone?"

"What else would I -"

"Then you're no better than those mafiosi who performed inhumane experiments on their own race to achieve their means."

Rokudo's eyes widened, his mouth becoming dry and a dreary sensation shadowed over his heart as Tsunayoshi loomed over him.

"You had once been a pawn, so you wish for others to fall to the same level as you had once?"

The illusionist's heart lurched. _How -_

"You're in my mind, Rokudo," Tsuna seemed to have read Rokduo's bewilderment. " _My territory_. Everything within this domain is under _my control_."

"...!" Rokudo only now just realized that he was trapped and he won't be able to escape unless Sawada Tsunayoshi allows it. _Just who is this man -_

"That doesn't matter, Rokudo," Tsunayoshi read his mind yet again. "Your wish to overthrow the mafia because you didn't want to see anymore children ending up like you? I appreciate the sentiment but that's nothing but an _excuse_." He jabbed a finger at Rokduo's frozen chest, sunset-orange eyes narrowed and _glowed_. "You wanted the satisfaction of being able to manipulate people as you see fit, so that you can forget that you had once been _just like them_."

Tsunayoshi reeled back, anger and disappointment written on his face - _sorrysorrysorry_ \- and Rokudo tried to squash down the apology that suddenly bubbled up in his throat.

"Kufufu..." He barked a dry laugh filled with resentment after Tsunayoshi had hit the mark. "So what? Do you _know_ what it's like to be stripped of your rights as a human being? Abandoned by your parents and treated as a _lab rat_? I have been through _six - f***ing -hells_ -"

"Mukuro."

" _What?_ " Rokudo hissed, losing the calm he had always held, but he had to pull up short when he saw the gentle sunset-orange orbs that held so - _so_ \- much reassurance.

"You have the ability to change," Tsunayoshi started quietly. "You need to first accept who you are -"

"They said I'm a _monster,_ " Rokudo rebutted back sardonically.

"- then those people are idiots," Tsunayoshi countered coolly, leading to a flabbergasted illusionist. "You're not a monster. I don't think you are. Your... followers doesn't. And Dokuro certainly doesn't view you as one."

"You have people who accepts you," The brunet looked up at the vast blank sky-high emptiness. "I think that's enough of a reason to stop this."

"..." Rokudo's gaze fell to his feet, his mind contemplating Tsunayoshi's words. Images of Ken, Chikusa, MM, and Dokuro appeared on his mind. He certainly couldn't deny that he _does_ feel some sort of attachment towards these people -

 ** _"No no, get away from me!"_**

\- and from the thought of it, Rokudo reluctantly admitted that he does feel a tiny strand of sentiment connecting him and the once-isolated Sky.

However, he wasn't given enough time to ruminate further when he felt the sensation of being expelled. His heterochromatic eyes locked back onto the ever-so unfathomable Sawada Tsunayoshi, who now seemed so solitary yet could carry the weight of the world on his shoulder, as Rokudo's body shimmered slowly out of existence. He realized that Tsunayoshi's intentions were to steer him back onto the right path, as he did the other guardians - and damn, he fell right in hook, line, and sinker for it as well.

"It's time you go," The brunet announced, a smile playing on his lips. "I trust you to not to breathe a word to anyone of what you saw and heard in here today."

Rokudo only nodded, but then thought of something. "Chrome... she..."

"I know," Tsunayoshi answered without missing a beat. " I have been observing all of you after all, and I plan on giving you guys a push back onto the right road."

His eyes glowing once more with resolve as the scene warped, stretched, and changed. "My mind won't rest in peace until I made sure of it."

The last scene Rokudo managed to catch a glimpse of was when Tsunayoshi turned around and disappeared in wisps of Sky flames while the vast blank canvas of the space they were once in was painted over by the sky in all directions, reminding him of the place known as the world's natural mirror, the salt flatland of Salar de Uyuni.

He couldn't help but think that the sky there was so vast and accepting (of things that came to past and of those to come in the future), yet there was a touch of melancholy to it that doesn't seem to fade away.

* * *

 **"Your anger is affecting your attacks."**

 **"Hn." Despite knowing that he had lost against the Omnivore this time, he still tried to struggle because he _knew_ what was wrong and he was _annoyed_ that the Omnivore _dare_ to point out his weaknesses. However, no matter how much he tries, the Omnivore's hold on him just never slackens. It was only when Hibari decided to stop struggling that the other sighed and release him.**

 **"Ienari is trying. Give him another chance."**

 **Hibari clicked his tongue but gave no response to his stance in the matter.**

.

.

.

Give the Herbivore another chance? Hasn't Hiabri gave Ienari plenty of chances already? Yet, again, and again, he watched the blonde toppled over and give in too easily in their fights as if the Herbivore already knew the outcome - of course the outcome was obvious, Hibari won. Like always. But it was beginning to get mundane and Hibari knew that Ienari won't be able to give him the freedom that he wants if it continued.

Yet, he _couldn't leave._

He was restrained by this... this little Sky that was plagued with troubles but still stood up despite of it. (That was the only worth Hibari saw in blonde - but the arched back and drooping shoulders were absolutely unacceptable) Why Ienari couldn't do that when they spar was beyond him. It shouldn't be that hard, right? Just stand up and continue fighting even if the hope of winning was slim to none. After all, anything could happen in a fight.

The Herbivore was nothing like his twin.

Sawada Tsunayoshi, Hibari realized despite the teen's weak herbivorous front, was strong. Strong enough to give Hibari the freedom to fight without worries and not see the Skylark as a freak of nature who only craved for fighting. But he knew that even though Tsuna gave him freedom, Hibari won't be able to follow him.

It wasn't because Hibari didn't found him worth following - no, the Omnivore was just too far out of reach. Even as a Cloud, he knew that he could only drift freely under Sawada Tsunayoshi's sky but he would never be able to reach that same Sky that seemed to promise so much.

Just like the freedom he never seemed to reach way back when.

 **"Kyouya, you must always remain strong and proud." The Elder had always told him. "You are the one of our rare talents within the Hibari clan and your future had already been planned out for you. You would do your parents proud to be able to serve our clan's heir."**

 **"..." The child had ignored the his caretaker, the one that had ... _molded_ him into what everyone wanted him to be. But quite honestly, Hibari _hated_ that mold and refused to fit inside. However, he couldn't voice it out loud, he wasn't strong enough to break the shackles. Yet.**

 **Unlike normal children, Hibari wasn't raised by his parents. No, his parents were long gone and were now only in memories. Looking back, Hibari deemed them weak because they had done themselves in trying to escape the rules of the Hibari clan. The only one Hibari could even considered as a relative was that one strange uncle of his that actually knew what Hibari wanted - though the Skylark would never openly admit that claim.**

 **Fon, as long as Hibari knew, was an adult despite his infant appearance and very much cares about Hibari's well-being. Though, it has been his fault that Hibari adapted the animal-analogies because the martial artist was the one who, seeing Hibari being a little too violent for his age, gave the boy a nature documentary to watch.**

 **It was _supposed_ to be a film about cute little fluff balls and the likes but who would have thought he had gotten the wrong film? It, instead, was a documentary on wildlife and its food chain - Very, _very strictly developed_ hierarchical food chain.**

 **Hibari had been so taken by it that the adapted it into his own speech.**

 **Speaking of which, it has also been the Storm, that Hibari regained what should've been his freedom.**

 **"You're free to go anywhere you want now, Kyouya."**

 **"... what did you do?" He had asked, glaring at the infant who was sitting in front of him, on the table with a cup of tea. Hibari was smart enough to know that the clan wouldn't let him go anywhere he wants. There was a catch. There was _always_ a catch.**

 **Fon only smiled serenely back and drank from the cup of tea. "Nothing much."**

 **"They wouldn't let me go so easily," Hibari voiced his suspicion directly (he was never one to beat around the bush anyways). "Unless..."**

 **The martial artist sighed with a helpless shake of his head. "Your mind has always been too sharp for children your age."**

 **"You have bound yourself to the clan." Hibari accused and then growled. "I don't _want_ freedom that's exchanged for yours!"**

 **"... Kyouya," Fon said solemnly, eyes gentle yet stern as he looked eye-to-eye with his nephew. "The reason your mother and father tried to leave the clan was because they wanted you to live a free life."**

 **"They _died_ trying," Hibari spat with no reserves in his show of disdain. "The pathetic herbivores -"**

 **" _Kyouya_." The infant interrupted sharply. "Do not speak of your parents that way."**

 **"..." Hibari, in all his anger, swung down the steel tonfa - the exact same one of the pair that his parents had prepared for when he was of age - and split the low table in half before storming out of the traditional Chinese-styled house.**

He didn't want a freedom that was exchanged by another's. That was the same as having none at all because _he_ hadn't earned it himself.

He had once admired Fon because as the strongest Storm of the Hibari clan, there was no one that could chain him down. He could come and go as he pleased. But now, he had given up that privilege in exchange for Hibari's future, and Hibari would forever hate the Storm Arcobaleno for giving him the freedom that he yearned for yet not.

Because now, there was a different chain that tied the Cloud down. (The sense of guilt and his own incompetence to settle things on his own had always ate away at him. It had been his parents, then his uncle. He didn't want any more people meddling into the equation.)

"IENARI!"

Hibari's hand twitched, a growl almost escaped his throat when Ryohei came out shouting at the blonde Herbivore that was a hairline away from being late. Again. But at least it allowed himself to come back from his loathsome memories.

"R-Ryohei...!" The Herbivore exclaimed, startled.

Hibari observed their interactions and found something... strange. The blonde was holding himself firmer, more opened. The sudden change baffled the Skylark, that is, before the Omnivore's words rang in his ears.

 ** _"Ienari is trying."_**

... Whether Sawada Ienari was trying or not, Hibari will just have to wait and see - but for now, he took out his good ol' tonfas. "Herbivores..."

Ienari and his friends jolted. "H-Hibari..."

"You're disturbing the peace." A gleam entered his eyes and he lunged. "I'll bite you to death."

* * *

Dokuro Chrome has always been silently observing from afar. She felt that she shouldn't be mingling with Decimo and his guardians because, well... she always thought of herself as the substitute Mist that would disappear as soon as Rokudo Mukuro breaks his chains. (Not that she wouldn't look forward to that day of course.)

Her loyalty never did lie with Ienari, but with Rokudo because he had saved her when she was at her worst. So as long as her savior wished for it, she would stay close by Decimo's side and be Rokudo's eyes.

She felt bad for it, but Ienari had never done anything that would gain her recognition. He would always shy away whenever she was near. The Decimo was distrustful of her - and probably everyone else - but that wasn't her problem. Why would she accept the Sky when the Sky didn't want her in the first place?

Dokuro was just waiting for the day when she will be left behind, just as her parents had left her at death's door because she was useless.

"Whatcha thinking?"

"H-huh?" Dokuro had just returned to her own body after Rokudo relinquished control and was curious as to why her savior had approached the brunet that she hadn't moved for several long seconds. She was startled but looked to where she has been standing and was met with a blinding smile. The owner of that was Decimo's twin brother - and she wondered why the brunet had approached her now of all times. Hasn't her classmates always treated her as air?

"Um..."

"Dokuro Chrome-san, right?" The brunet greeted, standing from his seat. "I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, we're classmates."

"Um... y-yes, I... I know." She wasn't sure why the boy started an introduction when they're, like he said, classmates. It wasn't like she didn't know him since his arrival had caused quite the uproar through school. It wasn't the good kind either because what she often heard was Dame-Tsuna this or Dame-Tsuna that. Though, from how the person in question reacted to the jeers, he didn't seem to care.

"Are you usually this early?"

Dokuro blinked as the brunet gestured for her to take the seat beside his, but nodded nonetheless. _What does he want...?_

"I just wanted to talk."

The purplenette was alarmed because Sawada seemed to be able to -

He chuckled, breathing Dokudo out of her thoughts. "No, I can't read minds. Your expression are just easy to decipher."

"...!" _Really?_

"Yeah..."

Dokuro sighed in defeat and pursed her lips. "Um... do you - do you need something Sawada-san?"

"Just call me Tsuna," The brunet opined good-naturedly. "It's kinda confusing when my brother and I have the same surname. And like I said before, I just wanted to talk to you."

She tilted her head, silently asking for the reason for the sudden decision.

"Well," Tsuna brought his hand into one circular motion as he tries to explain. "You just seem... lonely? And no, I'm not pitying you." He shot down Dokuro's thoughts before she could even have them. "I just heard that you're a... friend? Acquaintance...? Either or, of my brother but I've never seen you hang out around him."

"... I don't see you around Boss either." Dokuro shot back, feeling like her privacy was being invaded.

"Touché," Tsuna held his hands up in a placating gesture."I'm sorry if I offended you Dokuro-san."

Said girl relaxed and looked elsewhere. "It's... okay. I'm not always around Boss because..." Her violet eye dimmed as she thought about it. "... because I'm not needed."

.

.

.

 **"Boss."**

 **"A-ah?!" Ienari jumped why Dokuro's quiet voice entered his ears. The half-Mist watched as the Sky took several steps back in defense and eyes flickering with distrust. "Chrome? What are you doing here...?"**

 **Dokuro tilted her head, staring at the other blandly. "I was told to come, Boss."**

 **"O-oh..." The blonde sweated and averted her gaze. Even though she didn't mind, it was still discouraging to have... an _acquaintance_ trying to avoid her like a plague.**

 **"Would it kill you to actually make a sound though?!" Gokudera glared. "You scared Jyuudaime!"**

 **"... I'm sorry." Dokuro apologized with a timid bow of her head, her emotions in check as she was, once more, told off by the Storm.**

 **"Maa," Yamamoto tried to keep the mood up. "Chrome's always quiet like that though, right? So we shouldn't blame her."**

 **"Um..." Ienari looked between them, then trailed off to the side, where he could see Hibari leaning irritably against the wall and glaring at them all - or specially, at Dokuro. He sweated and gulped, turning back to half-Mist nervously. "Chrome...? Maybe you should - uh... take the day off..."**

 **"..."**

 **"I mean, you have been feeling under the weather recently right?"**

 **Dokuro's eyes dimmed and nodded silently. She knew the message when she heard it. Although Ienari had the intention of preventing Hibari and Rokudo from clashing, it still pained her to actually be pushed away again and again.**

 **"Then if you need me..." She trailed and shook her head, walking further away from the group and sitting down under the shades of a tree. Just like every other time, her role was to watch from the sidelines and only participate when she was called.**

 **She was fine with it though. Because her parents didn't want her, Ienari, the Sky that she didn't recognize, didn't need her. The only reason she felt that her existence was of any importance was because she could be used as a vessel for her savior. But the thought that one day, even Rokudo deemed her unnecessary anymore - uselessuselessgood-for-nothing - _I_ ** s ** _H_** o u **_l_** _D_ **N _'_** _t_ h _a_ _V e_ **E _x_** _i_ S _T e_ **d** -

 _\- Flick._

"...!" Dokuro clasped a hand over her forehead in reflex as she stared owlishly at the person who had flicked her that had broke her out of her daze.

"Don't think like that," Tsuna reprimanded, eyeing her disapprovingly. "Of course you're needed."

"How..."

"How would I know?" Tsuna finished the question for her. "I don't. But I _do_ know that if you were to be replaced by someone completely different, then it would affect those around you as well. It may be good or bad - maybe even both - but if it was someone else, we might not even be here talking to each other because the reason I talk to you is, well, because you're the one and only Dokuro Chrome, no?"

Dokuro just stared in a daze, but it made her heart fluttered with warmth in knowing that someone acknowledges her existence.

"Haha..." Tsuna grinned sheepishly. "Don't mind me. I - err... once read a book about butterfly effects and well... who knew it would come in handy one day!"

The quiet girl decided to allow herself a giggle at how the atmosphere just seemed to get lighter because of the brunet.

When she met his eyes again, something in her seemed to pull her towards him, wanting to call the brunet home because those glowing orange eyes were just so _accepting_. Being a Mist, she knew the inner workings of her mind so she knew that the strange pull did not belong to her - nor did it belong to Rokudo because her savior admitted to having that same pull just now. (Rokudo was never far from her, she realized, no matter how far he seemed to be physically.)

 _Home is where Our Sky is_ \- both her and Rokudo's pull seemed to be saying, and rather proudly that. Dokuro wondered if she could find a home like that too, because she and her counterpart has been wandering Mists for far too long.

"... thank you." The purplenette said, a small smile curving on her lips.

Tsuna had the knowing look on his face as he smiled kindly down on her. "You guys do have somewhere you belong."

Again, Dokuro was startled at his words. _Does he know -?!_

"I'm sure of it," Tsuna looked towards the window and up at the sky. "Just be patient."

Their conversation then ended when Ienari and his friends barged into classroom, out of breath. Dokuro could only conclude that it had something to do with almost being late and getting caught by the Skylark. Then she realized that the conversation between her and Tsuna had gone on for sometime now. (It was the first time she held a conversation with someone other than Rokudo for so long, she silently mused in surprise.)

"Eh~ Ienari-kun, you looked like you just ran a marathon." Tsuna remarked, amusement in his eyes.

"Well, yeah, you try to outrun an angry Hibari..." Ienari's voice trailed when he realized that he was talking to his _brother_ and the latter seemed to be about to burst out laughing any moment now while _Dokuro Chrome_ was sitting in the desk - _his_ desk to be exact.

Her curious gaze only made Ienari turn redder from embarrassment because that wasn't how he was supposed to be _portrayed,_ but Hibari was especially persistence in the pursuit today and-

"Your luck must be horrible." Tsuna commented yet again before gesturing towards Dokuro. "Ne, Ienari-kun, meet Dokuro Chrome."

"... erm..." The blonde was taken aback at the sudden introduction of a person that he already knew. "W-what...?"

"Dokuro Chrome," Tsuna reiterated with that same smile plastered on his face that seemed to say something else entirely. "Your _friend_."

Ienair blinked as his brain slowly digest the simple words that Tsuna gave him while the latter silently watched as the blonde's eyes slowly grew wider. Tsuna couldn't help but compared it to that of an infant's first step. ( _Almost there, c'mon you can do it, just that one tiiiiny step...!_ )

"Chrome...!"

Said girl jumped in start and her eye stared owlishly at the approaching blonde.

"Um... d-do you want to..."

A smile tugged at Tsuna's lips before his gaze traveled to Gokudera and Yamamoto. They seemed to lock up when he took notice of them, but then slowly relaxed themselves. Gokudera gave the brunet a respectful nod of acknowledgement while Yamamoto waved cheerfully at him.

He only shrugged noncommittally in response and returned his attention to the front of he classroom because homeroom was about to start. Although Tsuna didn't show it much, but he was glad that things were slowly rebuilding themselves.

* * *

 **Okay, so, a day later than scheduled but I have a good excuse - I mean reason. I was studying for my midterms yesterday and had them today and I just... forgot too update haha... Also, school is very important so yeah... sorry about that ^^'**

 **Did you know? Kyouya was _soooooo_ hard so I couldn't come up with much! Chrome and Mukuro were pretty much the same difficulty but just a bit below Kyouya so they tied for second. So yeah... sorry if this chapter's a bit... bland and crunched up together haha... These three will probably take longer to get accustomed to Ienari than the others so they're pretty... difficult, so this chapter just touched upon it and it'll gradually smooth (subtly) out after that.**

 **Sorry if uh... they're OCC (especially Mukuro because I have no idea what I did there lol.)**

 **Errr... Lambo - well, it's going to be delayed his because, well... he's only seven right now and uh... he's a kid. Okay, truth behold, I can't think of anything for Lambo so his part isn't coming with in successive POVs. He's POV is going to appear some chapter later on... or not appear at all. I'll work something out, because Lambo should not be left out!**

 **Thanks to** _doremishine itsuko_ , _Guest, KK, I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, OurAnimeGalaxy,nessa11997, Little Ms. Pumpkin, aiwataru1, wildcat1144, WeirdWisher, thor94, BlueNight191203, TheSilverHunt3r, Jaiyere, PhantomCielo27, D C JoKeR H S, angelaneahwalker , Owlstar7, Jessicamathews65, naturefire, noname26snow, sousie, Sora Rider X, Caleo Ignacium, Yhaelle-chii, Azurame Neve, ChewChew, Undertheskys, Allusive Ryder, PAVeY14, Frost190, GreenDrkness, EmilyXaviera, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	25. Interacting

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Ienari was considered the star athlete of the Namimori, having a penchant to do rather well in most sports that he participated in. Especially in basketball - which was also why he was part of the school's basketball team even though he was only a first year.

The team itself, was a rather well-known one despite Namimori being a small, quaint town because under it was a regular qualifier in the regional school competitions with their best standing to be in the top four - which had happened in the recent years. And because most of the players haven't graduated yet compared to other schools, they were the favorite to win home the champion's spot.

Well... they _would_ have a shot at it if one of their players hadn't succumbed to a bad case of stomach ache in the middle of the one game that would decide their spot in the regional competition.

"Ya gotta be kidding me." Ken groaned as he watched two of his teammates carrying the sick one to the infirmary. His ran a hand through his jet black hair in frustration.

Ienari frowned in worry, looking over to a teen two years his senior. "Captain, what are we going to do now?"

Daisuke sighed, shaking his head. "What else? We'll have to bring in our bench player."

The blonde cast a glance over to where their team's bench was, only to see no one but their... well, their... substitute coach - which, as you can see, was Reborn in disguise. He was getting the feeling that the hitman might have something to do with food poisoning that his teammate was suffering from.

"Coach," Daisuke walked over, the remains of the core players following after him. "Where's Ryota?"

"Called in sick. Something about a bad case of diarrhea."

"What?!" Ken exclaimed in disblief. "Him too?!"

Dasikue frowned as well, the situation not looking too bright. "Then what about Inui?"

"A sudden family emergency came up."

"Yoshi?"

"Sprained an ankle."

"... Hiro?"

"Do I need to speak further?"

"..." Daisuke and Ienari sweatdropped.

"Wait wait wait," Ken waved a hand up as to pause the conversation and looked at their coach in disblief. "Yer telling me that they're _all_ unavailable?"

"Nari!" Yamamoto hollered as he and the others rushed down the bleachers. They were all there (even Kyoko and the girls) to watch the game after school, but they hadn't expected this kind of development. "What happened?"

"Well..." The blonde shifted his eye to his coach-disguised tutor and shrugged helplessly. He had no idea what Reborn was trying to pay at and he didn't have the rights to question Reborn's actions... not when the hitman had everyone thinking he was a famous coach that had once been coaching a famous team. "Akio suffered from food poisoning and... and all the bench players aren't able to take his place."

"Hahi! That's horrible!" Miura commented with a gasp. "Is he okay?"

"Don't worry," Ienari assured as he made eye contact with the hitman. "It's not like his _life's_ in danger so it should be fine."

"Of course. Akio just ate bad food for lunch, that's all," Reborn confirmed with a smirk. "And everyone else's problems will resolve itself with time."

"But we need someone to replace Akio," Daisuke inputted, worried. " _Now_. Else we forfeit."

"We can't do that!" Ken complained. "Ienari's fine since he's still a first year but this is _our_ last year! It'll suck if we don't get to play in the regionals!"

"Of course you're all going to the regionals," Reborn said once more, hopping off of the bench and took up perch on Ienari's shoulder.

"Ho?" Ken asked skeptically. "Didn't ya say all of our subs and backups are MIA?"

"But the back up for the substitute of the substitute of the substitute of the substitute is just a call away."

.

.

.

Everyone just stared at Reborn for several long seconds.

"... The substitute of the substitute of the... what?" The ravenet basket ball player counted off on his fingers, then gave his captain a questioning look. "We actually have that kind of back up?"

"..." Daisuke sweatdropped and pondered with a finger scratching his cheek. "I only thought we had three..."

Just as Ienari was about to speak, someone else beat him to it.

"Hey, guys? Where's Reborn-san?"

"Ah!" Ienari and the others jumped when one Sawada Tsunayoshi suddenly appeared behind them, looking less than pleased that he was treated as an errand boy. "What are you -"

 _Thwack!_

Reborn unceremoniously socked his student in the head, causing him to kiss the floor. He then gave the brunet a smirk, who recuperated with an eye roll. "You're here."

Tsuna just stared blandly as Ienari's friends and teammates help the latter up on either side before holding up a set of clothes that looked strangely similar to the basketball team's uniform. "I was told to bring this."

The infant hitman ignored Tsuna's deadpan and turned towards the basketball team. "He's the substitute."

"... Hah?" Ken leaned an arm over Daisuke's shoulder as he looked Tsuna over with a critical eye. His frown clearly stated his skepticism of the scrawny brunet as he pointed at the latter. "Captain, have we ever seen him on the team before?"

"He joined last minute." Reborn helpfully provided, passing the roster towards Daisuke.

"What?" Ienari stared blankly while Tsuna only raised a brow. The brunet hadn't exactly been surprise by this since his Intuition had long since prepared him for it, but still... why didn't Reborn say anything?! Besides, he didn't want to have any part in basketball - or any sport in general!

"Sawada Tsunayoshi..." Daisuke mumbled as he read over the name, then a spark of enlightenment lit in his eyes. "You're Ienari's twin brother?"

"... yes."

"They look nothing alike!" Ken exclaimed immediately afterwards, throwing his hands up dramatically. He scrutinized the brunet once more, his frown deepening with each passing second as he thought of something. "Tsunayoshi... as in that... that - uh, whatsit? - Dame-Tsuna?"

When the nickname was thrown out there, the atmosphere around Ienari's guardians seemed to have darken somewhat but nothing much happened afterwards. They had seen how it hadn't effect the person in question so it didn't seem right for them to make a fuss about it.

Ienari had a barely noticeable frown as well, sending a displeased look towards Ken, who, upon noticing, grinned sheepishly and raising his hands up a silent apology.

"Hehe... sorry," Ken then apologized to the brunet. "I didn't uh... mean it that way..."

"I know you didn't mean it so I didn't take it as an insult." Tsuna shrugged it off lightly and folded his arms across his chest. "So... I'm going to make a wild guess here but you guys are missing a member?"

"The bench players all had to take leave except for you," Daisuke nodded a confirmation as he explained. Afterwards, he frowned as he scratched his head in thought. "I'm sorry, but have you - have you ever played basketball before? I mean... you only registered for the team recently and I've never seen you play..."

"Basketball?" Tsuna pondered before nodding in a very, _very_ serious manner. "I read about it."

 _Thud!_

The answer caused several people around him to collectively facefault, and of those who didn't, they could only stare incredulously at the brunet.

"Are ya frickin' pulling my leg here?!" Ken exclaimed, almost wailing out of the hopelessness of the situation.

"Hey!" The other team hollered from across the court. "What's taking so long? If you don't have another player to send in, then just forfeit already!"

"Shaddup!" Ken retorted back heatedly. "If ya got time to yap off, then ya got time to wait!"

Tsuna stifled a chortle and cast a discrete look towards Reborn. He knew that Reborn had planned for all of this, and he was pretty sure this was to give Ienari a helping hand in taking a step in solving the whole family issue. After all, it seemed that Ienari's mind was better focused and organized when it came to sports, and he could put other matters aside when his head was in the game.

He ended up sighing in resignation and made his way towards the changing room. "I'll be right back."

"Wait, Tsuna -" Ienari called, his hand outstretched as if trying to stop is brother but he didn't. The blonde had his doubts so he expressed them in skeptical look he gave the 'coach.' "Can he really play?"

Reborn smirked. "He's _Dame-Tsuna_."

That didn't exactly answer Ienari's question, but he suppose Reborn was implying that his brother's... no good at basketball? (But why did it sound like a compliment coming from Reborn's mouth?)

.

.

.

"Huh? Who's that?"

"Isn't that Dame-Tsuna?"

"What's he doing on the team?!"

"He's _sooo_ going to shame our school!"

"Dame-Tsuna is going to ruin our team's chance at the regionals!"

"Oi! Change Dame-Tsuna out! I bet he doesn't even know the rules of basketball!"

When Daisuke here the jeers from _their own_ peers, he shook his head helplessly at the unjust treatment. He was one of the more open-minded students of Namimori High, mostly because he has matured over the years and was on his way to college, so he didn't see Tsuna in a bad light unless the brunet does something untoward him and his friends. Heck, if he knew the Vice Captain like he does, then Ken was even more -

"Oi, will all of ya shaddup?! If we lose, I'mma blame it on all of yer f***ing big mouths!"

\- fed up at the narrow-minded people that seemed to be composed of most of the school's population.

"Maa..." Tsuna chuckled, picking up the basketball lying around and dribbling it once more twice before passing it off to Ienari - who caught in on reflex. "They do have a point though. I _am_ Dame-Tsuna."

"Hah?" Ken narrowed his eyes at the brunet as he towered over the latter using his height. "Shouldn't ya be defending yerself instead of agreeing with them?" He clicked his tongue in disdain. "This is why pipsqueaks like ya never man up! Ya'll take their words to heart!"

"Haha, you sound a lot like Ryo-nii, Ken-senpai!"

"Ryo-nii? Who -" Ienari piped in, baffled for a second before connecting the dots with widening eyes. "- you mean _Ryohei_?"

Tsuna nodded a confirmation but instead of elaborating on the topic, he changed it. "Anyways, we shouldn't keep the other team waiting, no?"

"Bah!" Ken swat his hand down in an inconsiderate manner. "We can make them wait for the whole season!"

Daisuke rolled his eyes at his Vice Captain and friend before directing his attention back towards Tsuna, who he had been giving an explanation to. "Tsunayoshi, did you remember all the things we briefed over?"

"Yup."

"How much of it did you understand?"

"Um... dribble the ball and shoot for the hoop?"

"..."

"Ugh..." Ken slapped a hand over his hand and sulked in the corner. "We're done for."

"Maa," Tsuna tried to console the third year by patting him on the back. It wasn't that he didn't understand what the plan was. He just didn't think much of basketball other than the team work involved in dribbling an orange ball and passing it around. He had never taken interest in the sport - or any other ones at all - in his world even though Reborn had placed him in several situations where he had to learn how to play the sport to the point of _perfection_ ( _the sadist perfectionist -_ )"I'll make the rest up with... um, my Intuition?"

"... Are ya trying to make this worse?!" Ken cried.

"Hey," Tsuna pouted indignantly. "My Intuition's pretty accurate y'know."

"Basketball's about skills! _Skills!_ " Ken emphasized as he threw his hands up. "Not luck!"

"..." Tsuna sighed and gave up on the young man who, as anyone could see, wasn't an optimist. "Anyhow, should we start?"

Daisuke nodded and told everyone to get into position.

 _Phweeee!_

The sound of the whistle blowing off signaled the ball to be thrown in the air and shoes to start screeching against the gym floor. Tsuna observed silently, keeping track of where the basketball was until he saw the opportunity to -

 _Thud._

\- steal it away during a pass. He didn't get very far, unfortunately, when he was blocked by one of the taller players. He narrowed his sunset-orange eyes in challenge and feigned a pass to the right. The other had followed almost instinctively, allowing Tsuna to quickly throw the basketball to the left, where Ienari was apparent.

"Ah...?" The blonde blinked as the ball appeared in his hand within the blink of an eye. However, he quickly snapped out of his astonishment and got his head into the game, dribbling the ball and evading his opponents with practiced footwork.

When he was within range, Ienari made a shot for the hoop, successfully earning Namimori two points - and the game continued. Through it all, Daisuke and Ken watched as the gap between the scores widen with Tsuna and Ienari's surprisingly well coordinated teamwork.

"Ienari-kun."

Another pass.

"Got it!"

 _Swish!_

"... I take it back," Ken whistled, impressed of what was being payed in front of him. "He's good."

To be truthful, they hadn't had much hope that Tsuna would contribute, but as long as they have enough players to continue playing, they'll make do. But who would've thought that Sawada Tsunayoshi, the one who everyone seemed to boo on as _'Dame-Tsuna'_ could actually play so well?

"And twins are worth being call twins." Ken praised just as Ienari missed the hoop but Tsuna saved it before the opponent could steal the ball back.

Daisuke whole-heartedly agreed. From the start to finish, Tsuna and Ienari displayed a level of teamwork that their entire team were barely keeping up with. It made him wondered why Tsuna hadn't joined the basketball team earlier if his talent was on par with Ienari's. (And the brunet even dare to say he only _read_ about the sport?!)

When the timer hits zero, signaling the end of the game, Namimori had won by more than twenty points, causing the audience to explode in cheers while the members of the basketball team high-fived and chest bumped each other in a state of exhilaration.

Tsuna, however, didn't join in on the excitement and had slipped away to change back to his clothes; but on his way back from the changing room, he paused. His sunset-orange eyes glanced around to find any fault that had caused his Intuition to suddenly start nag -

"Huh?"

\- Tsuna blinked when the nagging suddenly disappeared moments later. He couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity to this type of situation, almost as if...

"Tsuna."

"Mm?" The brunet looked up, not at all surprised that Reborn was using his head as a furniture again. His absentminded look turned into a scowl when he saw the Sun Arcobaleno though. "What the heck was that? You could've warned me at the very least that I would be playing. It's not like I wouldn't agree to it."

"What's the fun in that?" Reborn smirked, causing Tsuna to roll his eyes as he resumed walking towards the gym to return the set of uniform that Reborn had told him to bring earlier. (He was positive that Reborn had... 'borrowed' it.)

"The _point_ ," Tsuna emphasized in discontent. "Is that you signed me up for basketball!"

"You and Ienari coordinated pretty well for your first time working together, don't you think?"

Again, the brunet rolled his eyes. "If only he's half as good as he is in a game, then Ienari would already be halfway there to being a proper leader. I'm sure you already noticed how differently he acts towards his classmates and teammates compared to his guardians and family."

"A reputation to uphold," Reborn responded dryly. "That was his argument a while ago when I pointed it out."

"..." Tsuna did not understand that type of reasoning. Weren't they all the same? Wouldn't Ienari have to uphold a reputation if he was going to be Vongola Decimo anyways?!

"Why would -"

"There ya are!" Ken's voice traveled over and Tsuna soon found himself in a friendly choke hold, elbowing his head while Ken was at it. (Reborn disappeared the moment Ken hollered) "Haha, well play squirt! Ya got talent!"

"Gah...!" Tsuna struggled against the taller male but also laughed weakly. "L-luck has... a lot to do with this!"

"What luck?!" Ken countered, releasing Tsuna but held him by the shoulder and shook with vigor that Tsuna felt dizzy. "If we all have yer luck, then what's the point of skills?!"

Tsuna could only smile helplessly as Ken continued with the roughhousing.

"Ken," Daisuke joined in after seeing what the other was doing to the brunet. "Don't make things difficult for Tsunayoshi."

"... fiiiine." Ken grumbled and released Tsuna from his misery, which the latter was grateful for. "I'll let ya off for now."

"Tsunayoshi," Daisuke switched his attention to his junior, smiling. "We're going to celebrate our win, why don't you join us?"

"Capt'n's orders!" Ken tacked on gleefully. "Ya can't go against that!"

"Ah?" Tsuna blinked and tilted his head innocently. "I don't think I should... I'm not interested in basketball, so... I plan on quitting after this."

.

.

.

"WHAT?!" Ken exclaimed after the short stunned silence, his voice so loud that it attracted plenty of attention including the entire team, Ienari and his friends, and then some. "What did cha mean yer quitting basketball?!"

"Well," Tsuna gave Ken a strange look but spoke slowly as if trying to explain why one plus one was two to a child. "... I'm not interested in basketball."

"We heard that the first time!"

"..." Tsuna scratched the back of his head and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, but I only just found out I'm on the team today... but I don't plan on staying in the sport." He slowly backed away from soon-to-explode Vice Captain and made a beeline for the exit before things get complicated.

"O-oi!" Ken snapped out of his daze and hollered, but the brunet had already gained enough distance. The Vice Captain then rounded on Ienari, grabbing the boy but the shoulder and shaking him with vigor. "Ienari, tell that brother of yers to join the team or I'mma throw the worse tantrum known to history!"

"W-w-what?!"

"Ienari-kun! Tsuna-kun!" Kyoko waved at the Sawada siblings, making the brunet paused for a moment from afar. Ken released Ienari immediately after hearing school idol's voice and replaced his indignant look with a teasing one as he nudged the blonde in the ribs.

"Hoho, yer princess's calling for ya~"

Tsuna raised a brow when he overheard through the commotion of the gym and if his eye sight was still 20/20, then that was a blush on Ienari's face. (He also offhandedly noted that Ken's attention span was pitiably short.)

"S-shes not...!" Ienari tried to refute before he was taken aback by how fast Kyoko and the others had arrived. "K-Kyoko!"

Well, Tsuna blinked, his theory had just been confirmed. If his younger brother wasn't crushing on Sasagawa Kyoko, then he didn't know what it was. Though... the brunet couldn't blame his brother since he, himself, had been even more of a bumbling buffoon when he had a crush on said school idol. He had gotten over it though, now seeing it as more of a puppy-love of the past than anything else.

... Perhaps it'll work out with Ienari.

 _I wonder..._ A faint smile made its way onto Tsuna's lips as he reminisce about the past, of a face that he hadn't dare bring up to the surface until now. _Is she -_

\- And with a shake of his head to forcibly break himself out of his train of thoughts, he silently left the liveliness of the gym and headed home with a peace of mind.

* * *

The space around him was quite dark, with only a window high up on the walls, barred just like the dreary cell he was in.

Simply put, Kawahira, AKA the Administrator of the Trinisette, was imprisoned.

Well, that wasn't exactly a lie since he _was_ in a cell somewhere underground. It wasn't like he _couldn't_ get out, per se. He wasn't the Mist user for nothing - it was just that he didn't see the _need_ to break out.

Besides, it's quite nice here actually. No one to bother him except for maybe the occasional visitor, though he does miss eating the ramen at the usual place in the small quaint town of Namimori. That being said, he would occasionally sneak out to buy a bowl of said ramen before coming right back.

And so, Kawahira sat in the middle of the room, enjoying his daily meal that he had bought as if it was a normal occurrence to break out of prison, buy ramen, and come back - to be honest, it really was. No one could stop him from doing so, and he seemed to take delight instead, at the annoyed expression on the person who had 'imprisoned' him here in this godforsaken dungeon somewhere in Italy.

"You..."

Kawahira ignored the man outside of his cell in favor of savoring the taste of ramen broth instead.

"You really do get on my nerves."

"Likewise," Mist user rebutted tersely as he set the now empty bowl on the floor. "You humans do not have the powers to confine me so is it not enough that I return to this wretched place whenever I go out?"

"Tch," The man clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Mark my words, I will get it out of you."

"Oh?" Kawahira returned, amused. "The little amount of power currently in your hands does not rightfully belong to you. What makes you, mere _humans_ , think you have the right to access my knowledge?"

"The fact that we were able to capture you in the first place!" The man slammed his fists against the bars but Kawahira was less than intimidated by that show of strength.

"That was an error on my part," Kawahira answered coolly. "I have to commend your men for being able to turn the Non-Trinisette radiation against me; however, that was a one-time occurrence. I'm only staying here because I see no reason to leave."

"What."

Kawahira's eyes narrowed ever-so slightly. "Your greed can only carry you so far."

"... so what? What do you know?" The man snark back.

"Only the Will of the Trinisette I'm afraid." Kawahira admitted, deciding to entertain the man. "Your goal is Vongola, but you'll find yourself in a pinch sooner or later."

"Really?" The man laughed mockingly and walked away, not before adding, "Let's see how those Clams can protect themselves this time then."

Kawahira remained silent even as the echo of the wretched laughter bounced around his cell. It was only when peace returned that the Administrator let out a long sigh, then a frown.

"... The Laws are becoming unstable."

* * *

"Huff... huff..." Dread lingered around him as the person leaned against a tree to catch his breath, his eyes darting everywhere as if making sure that danger wasn't looking around the corner. In his situation though, it probably was.

His ears were pondering in tune with his heart, and his eyes bloodshot from the lack of sleep, but he didn't care. He _couldn't_ care.

He couldn't linger for too long, he knew, he couldn't stop _now_ or - or everyone's effort would be _wasted_. He gritted his teeth and pushed on even though his stamina has long reached a new low. Each step he took weighted like a boulder, the sign that fatigue was finally taking it's toll but -

 _Rustle..._

\- He couldn't bring up enough energy to gasp. Instead he made a turn around the bend and - and light streamed through the forest that he was in. He closed his eyes for a moment, to shield from the brightness before he slowed to a stop.

He looked on, seeing the world below him as he came upon the edge of a cliff.

 _Damn_. He silently mumbled a curse. He was trapped now, and this time, he couldn't fight his way out.

He tossed a look back to the forest that he came out of, eyes a mix of dread and a certain decision. He returned his gaze back to the view that the cliff gave him and swallowed in a deep breath.

He won't let them get him, he decided, nerves steeling as he took steady steps towards the edge. Regret and unwillingness how things turned out flashed briefly across his eyes before they became hollow - _lifeless_. His family, they had done so - _so_ \- much to make sure he escaped the pursuit, but in the end, it was still useless. _He_ was useless - _uselessuselessuseless_ \- because he was supposed to have protected them, not the other way around. ( _Whywhywhy -?!_ ) But it was all too late now.

Well, He thought, a foot now tittering on the edge, making a few rocks beneath his feet crumble. If he was going down, he wasn't going to let it be by their hands.

With that in mind and a look of utter hatred towards the pursuers that were just coming into sight -

 _Whoosh!_

\- he jumped.

His last wish was that someone would put those b*****ds in their place.

.

.

.

Crimson eyes opened steadily when they should've been forever closed, and a flame ignited.

* * *

Tsuna's Intuition was giving him a warning again and it was getting more and more frequent in the past few days; the steady thrumming getting louder and louder, cautioning him of the future to come. (There was something else as well, but he couldn't pinpoint _what_ exactly.)

"Hey - um... Tsuna?"

The brunet stopped massage his temple and direct his attention towards the speaker. "What is it." He didn't mean to sound a little impatient, but it was too late when his brother flinched.

He sighed, kneading his forehead with his hand. "Sorry, I have... something on my mind." He frowned and shot another glance at the blonde. "Don't you sense it?"

Ienari stared blankly at the answer.

"... never mind." Tsuna sighed. "So, what do you need, Ienari-kun?"

"Oh, um..." There was Ienari's awkward side again. "I was wondering... if you - maybe want to..."

The brunet raised a brow, somewhat amused when Ienari started to mumble. The blonde was then given a jab in the sides by Yamamoto as a gesture of encouragement - wait, Tsuna was cornered. The window was to his left and Ienari was standing to his right with Gokudera and Yamamoto to _his_ right and left respectively while Dokuro was... was waiting expectantly two desks away - blocking the aisle.

Wow, Tsuna was amazed, wondering if they had planned this or something. But it wasn't like he was going to up and walk away... okay, _maybe_ he might have done that just for the sake of a peace of mind. (He really needed one after the Vice Captain of the basketball team making the jump on him every chance he gets and Tsuna gets throttled every single time that he refused to join the team. It was, in Tsuna's opinion, almost as worse than the times Ryohei hunt him down for the boxing club... at least Daisuke was present every single time to stop Ken from going too far.)

"So, uh..." Ienari mumbled again.

"Sorry, what was that?" Tsuna said, masking his mirth with an innocent face.

The blonde took a deep breath and tried again. "Do. You. Want. To. Eat. With. Us."

.

.

.

"... pffft." Tsuna raised a fist up against his mouth, but from the trembles of his shoulders, one could immediately tell that he wasn't trying hard enough to hide his laughter. He had to admit though, Ienari was getting there... (or maybe it was because Ken hounded the blonde to convince Tsuna as well.)

"W-what?" Ienari's ears burned red while Gokudera restrained himself to a quirk of a smile. However, compared to a laughing Yamamoto and the giggling Dokuro, the bomber was holding himself quite professionally.

"God, Ienari, you sounded like a _girl_ trying to ask someone out." Tsuna couldn't help but make the comparison, which only embarrassed the blonde even more - and _that_ only lead to Tsuna laughing again.

"Y-you called me Ienari again!" The blonde pointed out in surprised despite of his earlier predicament.

Tsuna calmed down within a matter of seconds before shooting a look that said it should be obvious. "Isn't it your name?"

"Uh... yeah." Ienari started to make random gestures. "But - but you usually add the '-kun' at the end."

Tsuna paused for a moment in thought before agreeing with a nod. "True, but anyways, sure." He shrugged. "It's not like I got anything else on my agenda."

Ienari light up like a disco ball at the brunet's answer.

"... you're really acting like a girl."

"... Shut up."

Tsuna chuckled as he stood up and ruffled the blonde's head like he had done to his younger surrogate siblings back in his world. "You're such a tsundere."

" _Tsuna_...!"The blonde sputtered indignantly.

" _Ienari_." Tsuna shot back he started to walk ahead. "It took you long enough to take that first baby step."

"... w-what?!" Ienari shouted after his brother, indignant at his words. "I-I'm not a baby!"

Tsuna ignored the blonde in favor of humming, though he had stopped just as he reached the stairs. He looked out the hallway window and suddenly, his Intuition _blared_.

"Tsuna?" Ienari asked, confused, but his face seemed to be twisted in discomfort. However, it was not as strong as what Tsuna was feeling - which was on par with being headbutted against a boulder but the brunet kept it under wrapped thanks to experience.

"Ienari," Tsuna turned towards the distracted blonde.

"Huh?"

"Move."

"Wha -" Tsuna had pushed his brother away abruptly before -

 _Bang!_

\- he was shot.

Time seemed to have slowed when Gokudera (who was behind) caught Ienari as he and those present watched with unmasked, unspoken horror - w _hydidn'tyouprotecthim?! -_ as the Tsuna fell onto one knee, holding the wound where the bullet - the bullet that was supposed to have been aimed at _him -_ _hewasshotbecasueallofyouwerecareless -_ tore through.

Just missing the heart.

No sound came from Tsuna, which was worrying - but from the raise and fall of his shoulders, they knew that Tsuna was still conscious and very much alive.

"T-Tsuna...?" Ienari called out, voice rasped and scared and worried and frozen and - _Ohgodohgodohgod whatshouldwedowhatshouldwedowhatshouldwedo?!_

 _Dripdripdrip -_ came the chant of the blood that seeped down Tsuna's arm and onto the ground. He kept his head down, trying to endure the searing pain of having his muscles torn right through, but when he saw the sight of red - _so red like the ones that dyed their skin, ironthatreplacedtheirscent_ \- his mind began to shut down.

He didn't hear anyone calling out to him, nor did he bother to notice the danger that his Intuition had been warning him about approaching them quickly. All he saw were memories - _dead - They'realldead - Youcouldn'tsavethem - Why?Whywhyw **h** YwH **yw** hy **WHY?!**_

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry..." He unconsciously chanted all too hysterically, oblivious to the flames that started to roar and the panic to come.

* * *

"Damn, I got the wrong target."

 _Kbzzt_.

"Copycat, m'am, the snipe attempt failed."

 _Kbzzt_.

"Tch, the men of your Famiglia are useless. Why did the Boss order me of all people to assist you guys?"

"..."

A sigh. "Fine, switch of tactics, tell the rest that we're making contact. Tell your boss to get his a** over here now or when I get to those kids..."

 _Kbzzt._

"... I-I'll relay the message m'am." _Like hell would I tell him those exact words!_

* * *

 **I just wanna say, I know nothing about basketball nor am I making a reference to KNB (Heck, I only found out about that anime recently). And Tsuna and parallel people are interacting more - and messing with them somewhat lol. Then we have some other scenes and whatnot and a hint of Kawahira's whereabouts!**

 **Also, to lay it out bare... they're all straight, Ienari is just awkward okay? This ain't a yaoi fanfic... or a romance in general. There _might_ be some romance in this but it probably wouldn't be related to Tsuna (Probaby.)**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**

 **P.S. I'm sorry for the cliffhanger.**


	26. A Probe (1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Ienari stilled as blood started to pool under Tsuna's arm. The latter was mumbling a string of apologies but no one understood the reason for it.

Then he felt a prevailing aura flowing out from the brunet, of warmth and familarity -

 _(T_ _he limited amount of orange flames slowly seeped into his mind, ebbing away as much as it could of those accursed chains on memories forgotten)_

\- and something in his mind started to click.

.

.

.

 **A small blonde climbed up the tree in the yard, traversing the branch that conveniently reached the window that he wanted to knock on.**

 ** _Tap tap tap._**

 **Though the window, he saw a mop of brown sticking out from a bundle of blankets. From the subtle movements under all of it, he knew that the other had heard his knocking.**

 **A brunet slowly saw up, rubbing his tired eyes before looking towards the window where Ienari was perched on. "Nari-kun?"**

 **"Onii-san!" The blonde grinned and waved energetically at his brother.**

 **"Nar -" The brunet coughed, chest tightening in response but chose to ignore it in favoring of smiling at his little brother. He pushed the blankets away and climbed out of bed to help Ienari open the window.**

 **"N-Nari-kun," Tsuna croaked, voice strained. "Y-you're going to get h-hurt if you're not c-careful!"**

 **"But it's boring without Onii-san..." Ienari admitted with a pout. He then lit up like the sun when he remembered what he was trying to do. He pulled on Tsuna's arm in excitement, so much that the brunet was forced to climb over the window sill.**

 **"Onii-san! Let's go play!"**

 **"But..." Tsuna looked back into his room, forcing back another cough. "K-Kaa-san told me to stay in bed because I'm sick."**

 **Ienari had a grin on his face. "But getting fresh air is also good! This will help Onii-san get better faster!" The blonde had heard in from someone earlier when he had been dejected, that when someone was sick, the best medicine was to go outside! That person had been nice, and he was reminded of his brother because of it so he trusted the nice stranger's words too."**

 **As long as it will help, Ienari was determined to do his best.**

 **Tsuna looked at his brother in doubt, something in his head told him that it was a bad idea... but it couldn't hurt to try, right? After all, he haven't played with Ienari for an entire week and it made him feel bad. Besides, as long as Ienari was happy, Tsuna was happy.**

 **"O-okay!"**

 **(Little Ienari wished his brother hadn't agreed to his suggestion that fateful day.)**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

"Juudaime!" Gokudera snapped the blonde out of his daze while Yamamoto and Dokuro was already by Tsuna's side. "W-We have to - t-there are enemies around and - Tsuna-san needs to be -" It would seem that the bomber wasn't faring any better by how he was jumping from one topic to another, stuttering all the while.

"Tsuna...?" Yamamoto voiced shakingly, his hands hovering above said boy but fearing the worst if he was to touch him. The boy was pale as sheet and trembling all over, a look of _devastation_ coloring his face and Yamamoto was left to compared him with fragile glass. One wrong move and - "Tsuna, c-can you hear me." - _it's better not to think about it._

"Ngh..." The brunet gritted his teeth, trying to suppressed the pain and listen to the soft thrums of both Natsu and the pocket watch to help himself calm down. He took in a long agonizing breath before managing to ground out, "I-I'm fine."

"How is that _fine_?!" Gokudera was nearly hysteric - _stop saying you're always fine when you're not!_ \- and was pulling at the roots of his hair. "What, are you going to say it only tickles if the bullet punctures your heart?!"

" _Gokudera_!" Yamamoto barked sternly, panic and horror in his eyes at the possibility because that shouldn't - _could not_ happen. Not to Tsuna - _nononoNEVER!_ (For once, Yamamoto carried the same sentiment as that voice-not-his in his head) "Don't - just _don't_ -!"

Tsuna waved a hand up to get everyone's attention. He forced his eyes to squeeze open and _authority_ leaked out along with glowing sunset-orange eyes.

"Enough, _all of you_." Tsuna ground out again in rare annoyance. "Ienari, _snap out of it_."

"H-huh?!" It was only then that the blonde made any sound but upon seeing Tsuna hurt and - oh _god_ there was so much _blood_ and - and if the bullet had just -

" _Ienari_." Tsuna hissed, sweat slowly rolling down his temple. " _Breathe_." He then shot a glance at the hysterical silveret. "Gokudera, this isn't the time to get into a frenzy, understand? So calm the f-" He bit his tongue to refrain from a curse. "- **_Calm down_**."

The bomber could only mutely nod and stop trying to pull out his hair. He then realized that his boss needed his help to stop hyperventilating so he did just that to keep his mind occupied with something other than panicking.

Tsuna squeezed his eyes shut again. "Hibari, be on the look out."

The others were startled when the Skylark had sudden appeared behind him, but it should be expected. Hibari would rush to the scene when Namimori was in trouble.

"... You need to be treated." Hibari stated matter-of-factly after a quick look over.

"I'm _fine_." Tsuna pressed. "God, how many times do I have to tell you guys to stop _worrying_ over -" Tsuna paused adbruptly, realizing he was starting to mix his memories with what was currently happening. (It wasn't _Tsuna's_ fault that they were starting to fret over him like _his_ guardians.)

However, his silence received a different effect from the others as they started to have a melt down again, thinking about the worse - and that just cause Tsuna to groan irritably.

"You know what, I'm going to sleep."

"... _what?!_ " Ienari shrieked incredulous, finally rushing to his brother's aid. "No, you're _not_. What - what if you -"

"It's just a bullet to the shoulder," Tsuna rebutted back, tired of all of this since the pain has dulled somewhat. "At worse, I'll suffer from blood loss."

"Why the _f***_ are you so calm about this?!" Gokudera exclaimed once more.

"Then what else am I supposed to do?" Tsuna snapped back sarcastically, much to everyone's surprised. Don't blame him though, he was getting annoyed with everything. How was it that the Tenth Generation of this world started to act like headless chickens _just_ from a gunshot? Have they not been trained in the protocols? "Scream excessively like a demented little kid and be all dramatic about how I'm going to die from a wound that isn't even _fatal_? Forgive me if I'm a little rude, but that is _so_ overrated."

Hibari's eye twitched, equally annoyed at how this was getting nowhere fast and he still needed to search for the assailant that dares to disturb the peace of his Namimori. So with that in mind, he unceremoniously hauled Tsuna up like a sack of potatoes - ignoring the protests of _not_ Tsuna but _everyone else_ \- and strode for the infirmary where that annoying pervert of a doctor was located.

However, he didn't need to get that far because Shamal was intelligent enough to have the right responses to this situation and had immediately rushed over.

"What the -"

"Take care of him." Hibari tossed the injured Tsuna over, knowing that the brunet would keep his feet on the ground despite being manhandled.

"Shamal!" Gokudera called out. "He - Tsuna-san needs treatment!"

"I can see that," Trident Shamal returned with sarcasm. He glanced over the bullet wound and sighed in relief when it was nonfatal - just like what Tsuna had been trying to say. "I just need to remove the bullet and stop the bleeding." He noticed the urgent looks on Ienari and his guardians and reassured them that Tsuna's life wasn't in any way threatened - again, just like what Tsuna was _trying_ to do earlier. (Hibari disappeared right after hearing the reassurance.)

 _Wow, they really care about the kid huh?_ Shamal was inwardly amazed the teens could be so... _united_ for once, but he quickly dispelled the thought since there were more important things to do. "I can treat the kid with no problem, but you all need to start acting like the next generation of Vongola."

"Shamal!" Ienari said, alarmed. "You can't say that out loud or -"

"He already fainted." The doctor deadpanned as he supported Tsuna so that he wouldn't fall. "We have an enemy nearby so don't start lowering your guards now. You kids are still inexperience in this type of situation so along with staying alive and keeping the school under control, you should all consider this as a part of your training."

With that, Shamal left at least three gaping teens behind after he scooped Tsuna up. It was only after Shamal disappeared that Ienari was able to snap out of it.

"H-he's right," The blonde muttered. "We have to do something about this..."

"How?" Yamamoto voiced the uncertainty that no doubt hung over all of their heads.

"We could..." Gokudera hesitated, but upon seeing Ienari looking at him expectantly, he continued. As a right hand man, he should at least do this much. "We should gather the all the guardians available and patrol the school for any suspicious actions."

"... and we can make sure the students are okay," Ienari added, his brain slowly started to boot up. "We should... we should..."

"Evacuate everyone!" Yamamoto finished as revelation dawn on him.

"I'll... I'll help," Dokuro offered. When their eyes landed on her, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. However, when she thought about what Tsuna told her, how she was _needed_ , she steeled her nerves. "I-I - um - I can convince the principal to make an announcement for - uh... a drill - some type of evacuation drill."

Ienari nodded, sending a grateful look towards the female Mist. "Okay, we got that covered - wait, we might need Ryohei!"

Dokuro raised a reluctant hand, "I - um... already contact him through Mist. H-he should be -"

"IENARI!"

"- here now." Dokuro sighed in relief when the attention was once again off of her. She then disappeared in a cloud of mists without saying a word, knowing that the sooner she gets her part done, the better.

"What's EXTREMELY going on?!"

Ienari briefed the boxer in what had happened, the latter's expression turning into that of shock before nodding in determination. "Just EXTREMELY tell me what to do! I will EXTREMELY do my best!"

"W-well," Ienari grimaced as his ears ring at the unaccustomed volume that Ryohei seemed to have taken as the new norm. "I'm sure Hibari is already sending the disciplinary committee into actions. We just need to look for any suspicious people and be careful too. We don't know what they can do."

Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei nodded in agreement, then split three ways, leaving Ienari standing in the hallways, trembling from the stress that he was suddenly placed under.

"ATTENTION ALL STAFF MEMBERS AND STUDENTS," The announcement came quickly, startling Ienari, but he was impressed at how efficient Dokuro seemed to be. "WE ARE SCHEDULING AN IMPROMPTU EARTHQUAKE DRILL. PLEASE FOLLOW THE DESIGNATED ROUTES IN AN ORDERLY FASHION AND STAY OFF SCHOOL GROUNDS UNTIL THE DRILL IS CLEARED. I REPEAT, THIS IS AN EARTHQUAKE DRILL, PLEASE ACT ACCORDINGLY AND DO NOT MESS AROUND OR YOU WILL BE ANSWERING TO THE DISCIPLINARY COMMITTEE."

... Well, at least the student body would follow instructions because none of them had the guts to answer to Hibari Kyouya.

"This is so hard," Ienari sighed, messing up his short blonde hair in agitation. "How does Reborn do it?"

A chill ran down his spine when Ienari's Intuition thrummed softly and he realized that he was _alone_ \- and Reborn told him time and time again to _always_ have at least _someone_ with him because Vongola's position was currently unstable.

"W-who's there?!" His guard was brought up but it still wasn't enough because he felt a prickle of pain on his neck, followed by increasing spots of black swimming in his vision.

As Ienari collapse to the ground, he saw two pairs of legs appearing from out of nowhere - had they been waiting for the right moment this entire time?

"Heh, that was too easy."

"... Are you _sure_ this is the Decimo? I mean... that was just... what."

"Just treat him and his guardians as newborns. They had no idea how to response to this kind of situation."

"Alright, fine, what's next?"

"We report to Copycat."

"... not our Boss?"

"That's like asking if Copycat higher or is our Boss higher! She part of the Famiglia who head the alliance!"

"Ooooh..."

The last thing Ienari felt was being picked up like a sack of potatoes before submitting completely to the darkness.

 _Someone... help...!_

.

.

.

Tsuna woke up with a jolt and -

"Ow..."

\- a headache decided to make itself comfortable in his head, making him feel nauseous.

"Oh? You're awake that fast? I just finish bandaging you."

Tsuna hadn't bothered to respond to Shamal's comment. Instead, he sat up and looked around, noting that he was in the infirmary.

He frowned when he wondered if he had just imagine that vague plead of help. The probing in the back of his head was getting stronger by the second in response so he was almost sure it wasn't just his imagination, and it unsettled him at how _urgent_ his Intuition's warning seemed to be -

"Ienari."

\- Tsuna's eyes widened by a fraction in realization. He whipped his head towards Shamal, ignoring the whiplash that he almost received. "Shamal, where's my brother?"

The doctor raised a brow at how informal the brunet was being but answered nonetheless. "Somewhere in school. They're trying to... figure out a puzzle."

"... they're... inexperienced." Tsuna mumbled, brows furrowed in worry.

"Pardon?"

" _Shamal_ ," Tsuna called again, this time, his voice emphasizing the importance of what he was saying. "You left them _alone_."

Said doctor expression confusion through his face. "... and?"

Frustrated, Tsuna pulled Shamal by his shirt and brought him to his eye level and glared with sunset-orange. "They're against _experienced_ mafiosi - dear god, they're going to get _slaughtered_ and you're just going to sit here and... and read your stupid magazines?!"

"Wait," Shamal stared blankly. "Since when..."

"That is _not_ important." Tsuna released his grip and threw his feet to the side of the bed. He rotated the injured - but thankfully treated - shoulder a few times to make sure nothing was wrong with it other then a bit of a sting (he would use Sun Flames but he wanted to conserve his energy just in case). "The fact that there's an enemy lurking about with _civilians_ \- and no, I don't consider to be one -" Tsuna shot down anything that Shamal might say. "- shouldn't you know that by now since you were the one who made those pills for me?"

Shamal closed his mouth with an audible click and mulled over that for a bit before coming to a consensus. "I blame Reborn for not explaining it clearly."

Tsuna chuckled, shaking his head. "I'm pretty sure the walls have ears - or at least, I'm certain Reborn bugged the entire school."

"... well, sh**."

"Anyhow," Tsuna made for the exit. "I suggest you start doing something productive. Something is wro - _will_ go wrong."

Shamal raised an inquisitive brow.

"You're belittling my Intuition." Tsuna replied back before running out the door, letting said Intuition guide him - dare he say it - towards danger.

* * *

When Hibari heard the announcement, he was, simply put, pissed. The so-called earthquake drill was obviously the herbivores' idea but -

"Eh? An earthquake drill? Now?"

"It's lunch!"

"Ugh, why can't it happen during class time? I mean - c'mon!"

"Hey, if it lasts the enter school day, then it's all worth it."

\- it only created unnecessary nuisances instead.

He decided that he was going to bite the herbivore that came up with that idea to death later, after he finished tailing the two men that had kidnapped Ienari. The Omnivore passed on a message in that brief moment when Hibari hauled him like a sack of potatoes, telling him to keep an eye on the blonde herbivore just in case something happens.

Who knew that the moment he was alone was the moment Ienari gets attacked? (Hibari was quite disappointed that Ienari didn't even see that coming before it was too late.)

He would have bit those intruders to death if he didn't think that there might be more herbivores that invaded his territory. By silently following them, Hibari would be led to the rest and he would get to have a field day.

"Ah! Watch out!"

Hibari's eyes briefly widened at the sudden appearance of a student before stepped out of the way and... no, he cannot allow the herbivore to fall down the stairs and die on his watch. She could do it anywhere else, but not on his territory.

"Herbivore..." Hibari's steel-grey eyes narrowed down on the unnamed student as he caught her by the collar of her shirt and set her back on her feet.

"H-hai!" The girl saluted, smiling sheepishly. 'I-I'm so so sorry H-Hibari-san! I-I-"

"You're breaking the rules."

The girl cautiously backed away, hands held up in front of her. "I-I know, I was just in a rush, y'know? The drill and all s-so... see ya!"

Hibari's dangerous gaze remained on the scurrying student until she disappeared. He turned around and almost let out a growl because the female herbivore distracted him - wait.

The Skylark froze on his spot, pondering how odd it was that he hadn't even detected the girl's presence until she -

Damn. He was _duped_.

\- A trace of a even stronger-than-usual murderous aura flared around Hibari because no one messes with Hibari Kyouya lest they want Death coming after them.

"... I'll bite that herbivore to death."

Hence, tonfas out and a prey to lock on, Hibari went _hunting._

* * *

Gokudera observed his surroundings carefully, exploring every classroom that he came across and yelling -

"Oi, idiots, the school's having a f***ing drill so get the f*** out of here!"

"What the hell are you all still doing here dumba**es?!"

\- at the students that had instead hid in classrooms instead of leaving school grounds. (Apparently, they thought that as long as they weren't discovered by Hibari, they wouldn't care.)

Needless to say, the bomber was extremely irritated by the fifth classroom he entered. At some point, he had debated whether or not he should just through the students out the window because they obvious didn't know of the dangers - oh wait, they don't.

After herding the sheep (what else could these students be?) out from the west wing of the school and finding nothing out of the ordinary, Gokudera decided to head for the stairs.

He found it oddly too peaceful considering there was a sniper on school grounds - and the scene of Tsuna bleeding came to mind ( _youcouldn'tdoanything-!_ ) but he squashed the sudden urge to go check on the... the kid. (The bomber had to admit that the brunet wasn't a brat and there was more to him than meets the eye.)

Gokudera berated himself for getting sidetracked at a time like this. He should be searching for the potential dangers. It should be that hard, considering they were looking for adults donned in black... and probably holding weapons. Then again, the enemies send people their age and that would just complicate a lot of things.

"Ah, Gokudera!"

The bomber paused and looked towards the source of the familiar voice that had an odd ring to his ears.

Ienari stood at a distance, waving at him.

"Juudaime?" The sight of his boss made Gokudera relax despite the dilemma they were in. "Did you find anything?"

The blonde approached him but there was something about his boss's gait that made the bomber take a step back.

"Eh?" Ienari noticed and looked at the silveret in confusion. "What's wrong Gokudera?"

Said teen frowned, wondering, indeed, what was wrong. However, he only shook his head when he found nothing strange with the situation. _I'm probably imagining things._

"Nothing Juudaime."

"Eh? Are you sure Gokudera?"

The concern from Ienari should have made the bomber happy but... he knew Ienari enough to know that the blonde wouldn't persistently pry like this. This spoke volumes of the bond between them, which made Gokudera cringe because he knew that he should try harder if he wanted to be a friend to Ienari.

With that in mind, Gokudera decided that he shouldn't put up his defenses against his boss - even if that little voice in his head was telling him otherwise.

* * *

Dokuro sighed in relief when her task was done. She mumbled an apology to the principal, who she had put under her illusion that make that broadcast since the staff members would listen to the head of the school instead of think of it as a prank.

However, she was jolted out of her relaxed state by the tug in her mind.

 _M-Mukuro-sama?_ Dokuro send through the telepathic link she and her savior established way before.

 _Kufufu, it's intriguing that you decided to offer a hand to them, Nagi._ Her counterpart remarked, his voice laced with amusement.

Pink tinted her cheeks as she ducked her head down even though there wasn't anyone to see it. _I-I just... I'm sorry Mukuro-sama..._

 _You need not apologize,_ Rokudo answered lightly. It may be her imagination, but she felt a sense of relief from her savior. _At least you're aware of yourself. I guess should really give my thanks to that boy._

Dokuro smiled softly and nodded a response even though the other Mist wouldn't be able to see it. Tsuna really did both of them good by giving them a sense of direction through the maze of never lifting mist.

 _Be careful._ Rokuo's voice turned solemn as he gave a warning. _I sense a strong Mist-user within the vicinity of the school, one that's beyond your capabilities._

 _Un._ Dokuro held her trident close to her chest as stepped out of the broadcast room and scanned the empty hallway. _I'll be careful Mukuro-sama_.

Her footsteps echo'ed against the walls, making the hall seem quite eerie but that doesn't affect Dokuro one bit as she looked left and right. When she had detected a trace of Mist flames, she decided to follow the trail.

She rounded a corner, pacing cautiously for a while until she came upon Gokudera and... Ienari?

She frowned, brows furrowed because there was something... off about the supposed-Vongola Decimo. It was almost like - her brows shot up as alarms ring when she sensed dangerous _Mist flames_ coming out from the blonde when he was within arms reach of the bomber.

"S-Storm-man," Dokuro gasped out, stepping out of her corner with alarm. "D-don't get close to him!"

"Wha -"

 _Bang - ting! - thud..._

The moment a gun resounded across the hallway, aimed at Dokuro, Ienari had already appeared behind Gokudera and knocked him out with a karate chop.

'Ienari' sneered as his eyes flashed _violet_ , his attention turning away from the now-unconscious bomber and towards Dok - _Rokudo_ \- the bullet was deflected with a timely placed illusion. "Oho, I have heard rumors of Decimo's Mist guardian, but I didn't think the gender-bending was true."

"Kufufu," Rokudo chuckled eerily just as four mafiosi came out of hiding. One of then hauled Gokudera away under 'Ienari's' silent orders and retreated, leaving three others - but four in total if the con artist was included. "It is only true when you think it is."

"You're well-versed in the concept of the illusions." The other complimented.

Rokudo's heterochromatic eyes narrowed down at the teen. "I would say the same to you. Now, why don't you show me your face?"

'Ienari' smirked and placed a hand over his face. His - _her_ cover seemed to disperse the moment she pulled what seemed to be a now-blank mask off of her face. Blonde hair dyed into black as it was now tied into a side-bun with a pair of chopsticks holding it up and her figure slimmed down to match her gender. Traces of Mist leaked out from her body as the male Namimori uniform change into a white and light purple Chinese hanfu mini dress, styled to the preference of a martial artist.

Rokudo raised a brow at the... less-than-intimidating-but-more-fragile appearance and the irony of the gender-bending comment that had been spoken before.

"What?" The ravenette snapped almost irascibly, violet eyes glaring as she folded her arms across her chest "Never expected me to be a girl?"

"Oya?" Rokudo smirked, amused as he looked _down._ "I just didn't think you were so... short."

"Ho ho," A tick mark was prominent on the barely-four-feet girl's head as she mocked a condescending laugh behind her hand. "Well, I never expected a _pineapple b*****d_ to be my opponent."

Rokudo's eye twitch and he brought his trident forward. "This conversation is over."

The girl sneered, a hand resisting on her waist. "I couldn't agree more." She glared at the awkwardly standing trio of mafiosi that were still present. "What are you guys standing there for? Go and act like the cannon fodder that you're supposed to be!"

The three men could only helplessly exchange bitter looks before pointing their guns at Rokudo. Unfortunately, they didn't even get to pull the trigger when they were encased in ice courtesy of Rokudo's artistic talent.

"Didn't even last ten seconds," The girl huffed in annoyance. She glared at Rokudo, retreating back with a back flip befitting of a martial artist. She pulled a chopstick from her bun, twirling it in her hand in the short moment she had been in a handstand before tracing in the air. The Mist flames that followed her calligraphy gave rise to hundreds of needles that were then deflected by Rokudo's spinning trident when they were send his way.

Walls seemed to crumble and the ground shook as the space warped to the illusionists liking - then Hibari Kyouya came breaking down a wall and everything seemed to come to a momentary halt.

The Skylark became even more pissed when he saw illusions being used on his territory and then it rose to another level when his steel-grey eyes locked on to the female illusionist in the room. Coincidentally, Hibari could recognize a Mist-user when he sees one and he quickly figured at that the girl in front of her was the so-called student that had duped him some time ago.

"Herbivore..." A growl tore through his throat but the Prefect briefly paused when he noticed the plain white mask strapped to the girl's waist.

The girl raised a brow at the look of recognition that flashed across Hibari's face and couldn't help but be bemused.

"I didn't think you would be able to recognize my origin." She commented nonchalantly as she twirled the chopstick in her hand. "After all, my clan is quite reclusive even within the Triad."

Hibari, again, glared at the girl and raised his tonfas at the ready. "... I'll bite you to death."

"Oya oya," Rokudo interrupted, his trident gleaming. "She's _my_ prey."

The unnamed girl grinned as the two teens came at her. She clashed her hands together to the side of her head with a cute jump, not even the slightest bit concerned about the pincer attack that was coming.

"I'm so popular ~ !"

* * *

 **Eto... I don't know what there is to say other than an intro of one of the OC villains yeah? Yeah. I'm not too confident in making and introducing OCs so I was kind of reluctant in this aspect. But then I again, I didn't have the heart to make most of the KHR characters bad (at least, of those major ones)...**

 **Thanks to for** _I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, JustSome01, aiwataru1, Guest, mokona-pyuh, akachan23, FlightOrFight, naturefire, angelaneahwalker, 27aquarrow72, kOcchi zenrei, Caleo Ignacium, Sora Rider X, PhantomCielo27, StarlitBaby, doremishine itsuko, sousie, TheSilverHunt3r, Wikikid, Chew Chew, riszang, EmilyXaviera_ **reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	27. A Probe (2)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"Don't you think it's strange for the school to suddenly issue an emergency drill?" Kurokawa Hana thought aloud, arms crossed as she, Kyoko, and Miura followed behind a few other students out of school building in a leisure pace.

The orange-haired girl thought for a moment, with a finger tapping her chin, before smiling again. "I'm sure there's nothing unusual going on."

"Right!" Miura nodded her head in agreement. "Besides, this might be a good thing!"

"Mm!"

Kurokawa stared as sparkles and oblivious smiles ensued and couldn't help but sigh. Sometimes, she wondered how she became friends with -

 ** _Crash!_**

\- The girls watched, startled, as someone came crashing through the windows that they were passing by. Due to the commotion, it attracted the attention of the nearby students (but some of them were smart enough to run away instead of staying and watch).

The person groaned as he sat up carefully, bewaring of the glass shards that lay around him.

"Eh?" Kyoko blinked and her face twisted into worry upon recognizing the person. "Onii-san?!"

"Don't come over!" Ryohei ordered, stopping his sister just before she could step through the sea of glass.

Kurokawa huffed, crossing her arms in irritation. "What were you trying to do anyways? Don't you know you could've gotten other people injured by monkeying around like that?"

"I was... uh, seeing if I can EXTREMELY run on the walls!" was Ryohei's reply.

Kurokawa _stared_.

"That's dangerous Onii-san," Kyoko seemed to have believed that excuse. "You're not even wearing protective gears!"

"Hahi! Can you even do that though? I mean there's gravity and all." Miura seemed to have a better sense of reasoning but she still ended up believing it. "But I'm sure you can do it after a lot of practice!"

The logical one of the trio decided to facepalm and not give anymore input, that is, before Ryohei started to usher them and the onlookers to leave.

"And why do we need to leave?" Her brows furrowed with a frown marring her face. "It's just a drill. There's nothing dangerous other than having to face Hibari - by the way, how did the school even get _Hibari_ to cooperate?"

Kurokawa knew that Kyoko's brother was an idiot who couldn't lie his way out of anything so she was taking advantage of the boxer's weakness to get to the bottom of this. There was something fishy going on and Kurokawa did not like to be kept in the dark.

Before Ryohei could actually come with another ridiculous excuse though, Yamamoto Takeshi barged in by using the same entrance as the boxer - though he had a better landing than him. When the raven-haired teen looked up and saw Ryohei trying to push the three confused girls away, he immediately sprang up and -

"DUCK!"

\- He pounced on the four and got them down onto the ground before the sound of gunfire came. Luckily, the victim of the bullets was the wall; however, it caused the surrounding students to start panicking while thinking there was a _terrorist_ on campus and they were all going to _die_ and - well, their flight instinct kicked in, making them scream and run for their lives.

"Haha," Yamamoto laughed a bit _too_ lightly. "That was close!"

Kurokawa did _not_ find any of this funny. "What. Was _that_?"

"No time to explain," Yamamoto said urgently, helping to pull the girls up and out of their daze. "You girls should leave right now."

"No," The brunette stood her ground with a scowl. "I demand an explanation. Now."

"Hana -"

"What the heck was that gunfire all about?"

" - Listen to me -"

"- I will not listen to another one of your gibberish -"

"- Hana -"

"- this isn't just an emergency drill is it -"

"- well -"

"Just what is going _on?!_ "

Yamamoto and Ryohei could only exchange looks of helplessness because a stubborn Kurokawa was something they couldn't deal with at the moment, but if they stay -

"There they are! Catch them!"

Yamamoto pulled Miura away while Ryohei got Kurokawa and Kyoko. The duo shove the girls harshly just before the bullets came flying again. The Rain and Sun were back to back for a moment, then separated to take down the three men - two from the same window while the last one appeared from the opposite end of the hallway they were in.

"Hana," Yamamoto said, voice serious and eyes stern. It made the girls paused briefly to wonder when was the last time they had ever seen the cheerful teen like that before. "Take Kyoko and Haru and leave."

"Why -"

"Just do it!" The ravenet ordered, pulling his bamboo sword out and knocking one of the men unconscious.

Kurokawa sighed out of frustration before grabbing Kyoko and Miura by the wrists and pulling them away from the scene. Even though she had her doubts about what was going on, she was still able to sense that there was something wrong and she and her friends shouldn't linger around lest they have a death wish.

"You monkeys better prepare an explanation for this afterwards!" She hollered in the distance, anger unmasked in her tone. "I can't believe you even got the whole school in whatever mess you're making!"

"We're EXTREMELY sorry!" Ryohei called back with a goofy grin, but then pivoted on his foot to dodge a punch and returned the assault with an elbow jab.

Yamamoto's hitman-like intuition kicked in right at this moment and intercepted metal pole with his bamboo sword. Though, the sudden electricity that surged forward was not what Yamamoto was used to so in that moment of surprise, the swordsman was pushed back.

"Huh, so these two are Vongola's next generation? They're rather weak."

The next thing Yamamoto knew, the hallway light up in a burst of green and red.

.

.

.

Tsuna had the feeling that he needed to pick up the pace. He hated that dreadful feeling because it only meant that something had gone wrong and needed to hurry to stop whatever that was going to happen.

So with another burst of speed, he rounded a corner and abruptly came to a screeching halt at the red and green colors that were dancing before him. He saw Yamamoto being held down by the electricity netting over his body courtesy of the blonde man standing before him while Ryohei was trying to fend off against a woman with brown hair... who happens to be a Storm flame user so the boxer had to be careful.

The two teens wasn't faring well. At all.

Tsuna knew that this world's Tenth Generation had only _just_ started to learn how to manifest their own flames so it wasn't that surprising to see them be oppressed like this by more experienced flame users, but...

"Looks like we have another company." The man who should be a Lightning flame user noticed Tsuna in the distance. The brunet was startled out of his dazed state and closed his eyes for a brief second. He took a few deep breathes to let his emotions settle down because those were _his friends_ that were getting hurt.

First, he needed to distract the enemy, then as to save Yamamoto and Ryohei...

Multiple thoughts and plans flickered into his head before being filed away to allow more to spawn in face of numerous possibilities. After all, Tsuna was a tactician before a strategist - was what Reborn had demanded of him and his guardians. Although they dare not say they're one of the bests, they were well attuned when given the task. (Ironically, even though the genius strategist title didn't fall on any of their heads, that title still had once belonged to their Vongola.)

Being in the mafia for so long had taught them all that anything was a possibility and expect the unexpected. Hence, having experience it first hand rather than taking a back seat to it all was what made a strategist, a good strategist. (Theories were only theories, there were some things that could only be understood through practice.) Because plans changes constantly, it's better to see all routes that was available before you with your own eyes and making several steps ahead to counter the possible setbacks. (The first plan may be important, but the second, third, fourth, and so on, were just as equally so despite carrying greater risk factors compared to the first.)

In face with this, Tsuna triumphed over all in part because of his sharp Intuition, but also because, as an overprotective Sky, he would never allow his family to get hurt. As long as it was a possibility, Tsuna will plan several steps ahead to deal with it. It could be said the same of his guardians, as they were overprotective of him. (Sadly, he and the others weren't omnipotent. They hadn't seen nor prepared for their end coming so prematurely, or else, how could they suffer such a horrendous loss in a mere war?)

Tsuna opened his eyes once again seconds after closing, sunset-orange orbs crystal clear with a certain gleam in them but as quick as they came, his eyes resume their calm and collected state and looking none the wiser. However, the slight upward curve of his lips said otherwise.

(The opposing parties didn't know what hit them until it was already gone.)

"Maa, what's with the fireworks?" He said with a smile, slowly approaching the group.

"T-Tsuna!" Yamamoto gritted, trying, but failing to get up from his pinned down position. "What are you - Get away from here!"

"Eh?" The brunet tilted his head to the side innocently but not heeding to Yamamoto's warnings because he was s _till_ approaching them. "But -"

"Tsuna!" Ryohei exclaimed, forgoing his bout with the woman and rushing shield the brunet from view instead. "What are you EXTREMELY doing here?!"

"I heard a commotion," Tsuna answered lightly, still smiling that bright smile of his. "so I came to see what's going on." He peered over the boxer's shoulder at the mafiosi that had Yamamoto captured. "By the way, don't you guys know that you shouldn't be playing with fireworks lest you want Hibari-san on your case?"

"Fireworks?" The Lightning user stared blankly at Tsuna. He raised his pole and let green sparks cackle over it. "Does this look like fireworks to you?"

 _Idiots seem more widespread in this world._ Tsuna's eyes glinted with a dark light for a brief second. _Where the hell are the Vindice?_

"Of course." The brunet returned to his previous oblivious state in the next moment and answered the man bluntly while pointing. "See all those sparks and hear how it cackles? Isn't that what fireworks are supposed to do?"

"Tsuna," Ryohei put his hands on said teen's shoulders. "Shouldn't you still be in the infirmary with Shamal?"

"Shamal?" The brunet paused for a second before showing recognition. "The school doctor? He let me out."

"What?!"

"Maa," Tsuna chuckled, taking one of Ryohei's hand away from his shoulder. "The injury that I got wasn't _that_ serious. I don't know what hit me, but since I don't feel pain anymore, it shouldn't be that bad, ne?"

"You were -" The Sun stopped talking when he had almost made a slip. "- Anyways, Tsuna, you should EXTREMELY leave!"

"Why?" Tsuna asked, confused. "This game actually looks kinda fun now so I wanted to join."

"A game?" The woman parroted, her voice filled with derision as she begin to cock a gun towards him. "What kind of brat are you to think the mafia is a game?"

"Don't you dare," Ryohei growled while Yamamoto panicked. However, none of them seemed to notice the amused expression that flashed across Tsuna's face. That is, until the brunet chuckled.

"That's a really nice looking toy gun you have there!"

"Why you - !"

 ** _Bang!_**

"TSUNA!" Yamamoto exclaimed, eyes wide and filled with horror as the Storm flame-imbued bullet was launched towards the brunet while the boxer stood protectively in front the to-be victim, closing his eyes and preparing for the pain that would tore through his muscles.

"Ah, Ryo-nii, careful!" Tsuna called, pulling the arm that he had still been holding onto. The boxer felt his surroundings leaning off-kilter as he was suddenly jerked to the right. He had been startled to open his eyes and stumble to try to regain balance to his vestibular system.

Tsuna quickly glance at the hole in the wall that the Storm attributed bullet caused with a displeased frowned before he tug at Ryohei to help him stabilize on his feet. "You shouldn't just stand there like that, Ryo-nii. The fireworks almost hit you."

"... what?"

While the boxer was still figuring out what exactly had just happened, Tsuna decided to send a glare towards the woman who had made her move. "M'am, that was supposed to be a compliment, y'know. I have never seen a gun so real before."

"..."

"Damn brat," One of the other men hissed, pointing his gun at Tsuna as well. "It _is_ real!"

"Eh?" Tsuna made a face. "But guns don't shoot out fireworks. They shoot out bullets."

His statement was met with stunned silence, but it was one where the others thought Tsuna was not in his right of mind for saying something like that while in danger. The boy doesn't seem to understand the threat on his life, it seems, and they were momentarily shocked to a standstill because they have never encountered this type of situation before.

Tsuna chuckle again at the reactions that he had caused before he grabbed Ryohei again. "Ryo-nii, since you're role-playing, you shouldn't just be standing there. Go resume your fight!"

"Uh..." Said person blinked.

"Eh? You need a kick start?" Tsuna grinned playfully as he started to readjust the boxer's posture as if the latter was a life-sized action figure. "Then let me help you!"

Tsuna pulled Ryohei's arm back in a ready punch, adjusted Ryohei's stance into a more balanced and steady position with the boxer's back arching forward a bit.

"Okay, so like this and..." While Tsuna mumbled to himself, the mafiosi seemed to be at the end of their patience - particularly the woman that RYohei was fighting.

"Alright, brat, enough of this farce!" She exclaimed, marching forwards to grab Tsuna -

"Ow!"

\- only to be stepped on the toes by the brunet who had been stepping back and not really watching where he was going.

"Eh?" Tsuna looked over his shoulders and scratched his head sheepishly when he saw the woman hopping on one foot, the mischief in his eyes came and went too fast for others to take notice. "Oops, sorry, I wasn't paying attention!"

"Why you -"

"Okay Ryo-nii," Tsuna cut off the woman's curse (whether it was intentional or not was only Tsuna himself knew) and rounded behind the white-haired boxer. "Ready?"

"Wait, what -"

"Reel back," Tsuna pulled Ryohei by the shoulders, arching his spine back a bit.

"Tsuna -"

"- One foot out, the other behind -"

"- What are you -"

"It'll be fine," Tsuna mumbled reassuringly, a smile tugging at his lips while his eyes were hiding behind his bangs. His voice had lowered down to a whisper so only Ryohei could hear since he was directly in front of the brunet. "Charge over and let the flow guide you."

He placed his hands onto a baffled Ryohei's back, preparing for a push. "You need to realize what you need to protect."

 _Huh?_ Ryohei blinked.

"The things that you hold important in your heart," Tsuna's deep and calming voice continued to rang in Ryohei's ears. "Your friends, your home, your family, those that makes you want to protect with your life. Concentrate that feeling of yours into your fist... and go!" The last two words were said loudly just as the brunet pushed Ryohei forwards.

His voice, filled with confidence and faith, seemed to be a catalyst for Ryohei because his silver eyes shined in sudden understanding and then changed into something akin to a fierce golden fire. The same matching dazzling yellow lit up on the fist that had been reeled back, and Ryohei felt the cells in that fist going into overdrive.

He punched forwards, the woman having been startled badly by the sudden radiant sunny yellow that she hadn't been able to dodge.

Ryohei stared, amazed at the punch that seemed to have been faster than all the others he had delivered out and also at the sunny yellow flames that coated his fist - being emitted by the Vongola ring he was wearing - yet they didn't burn him at all.

He heard clapping, which brought him out of his daze.

"Well done Ryo-nii, a nicely executed uppercut!" Tsuna applauded with a smile, but Ryohei seemed to see something hidden in that smile. However, that thought escaped him when everyone was badly startled because they realize that the cheering brunet was somehow behind the men who were guarding Yamamoto. (When did he sneak up on them?)

"What the -"

"When did the brat -"

"Tsuna?!"

"Hehe," Tsuna merely smiled innocently - innocent like a little demon really - before picking up the bamboo sword that had been kicked away from Yamaoto's reach when he had been locked down by Lightning flames. With a few precise swings and jabs to the guts, the brunet had been able to fight off the three mafiosi that had been guarding Yamamoto.

"I'm not familiar with swords," Tsuna mused as he stood before a gaping Yamamoto. "But this shinai of yours feels weird Yamamoto-kun."

"..."

Tsuna's gaze glance over the electric net that was paralyzing an _injured_ Yamamoto, his expression entering a blank state afterwards, leading others to be unable to read what exactly he was thinking. In that moment of silence, the Lightning flame user was able to snap out of his daze (it wasn't his fault that there were so many unknown variables in play!).

"How did you even -"

" **Oi** ," Tsuna's voice turned ice cold as he tossed a glance over to the man. The latter froze on his spot when he was met with glowing orange that _commanded_ him to listen, or else. "Release him."

"W-what?"

Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes narrowed impatiently and his aura _flared_. "Are you deaf?"

"N-no..."

Yamamoto and Ryohei watched as their enemy became flustered at the mere pressure that Tsuna had suddenly exerted. They weren't sure how the brunet was doing what he was doing, but it was _working_. It made them further believe that Tsuna was more than what he appeared to be.

"Then please, release him," Tsuna _sighed_ , shaking his head as he cast a _disappointed_ _look_ at the man. "You can't treat my friend like this. It's not a nice thing to do."

"I..." The man trembled and wondered why that look of disappointment had affected him _so much_ and why did he sudden had the urge to listen to a mere _teen's_ orders?

"... Well?" Tsuna tapped his feet impatiently, his arms folded across his chest.

"A-alright -"

"What the hell are you saying?!" The woman exclaimed. "Our boss wants to capture these brats to deal with Vongola! We already have the Decimo and his Storm so -"

" ** _What._** "

The temperature of the hall seemed to have dropped a few degrees and air seemed to have became so unbearable that it was _suffocating_ under the roiling pressure.

" **Ne~ what did you just say?** " Tsuna smiled _brightly_ as he approached the two. His aura rolled off now with a certain amount of killing intent mixing into it that caused the mafiosi to gulp nervously and scramble away. Heck, it send shivers down Ryohei and Yamamoto's spines even though Tsuna hadn't been directing it towards them. Was that really Tsuna?

"I - I..." The woman felt weak in her knees when she backed away. She had only ever felt this level of suppression when she and her boss had been meeting up with -

"My patience is quite limited at the moment." Tsuna said, face darkening as he towered over her. "So please, I advise you not test me."

The woman wordlessly comply and answered, "I - we h-have the D-Decimo and his Storm i-in our h-hands..."

"Really," Tsuna narrowed his eyes but his gaze remained apathetic. "And where are they now?"

"T-The back of the school."

"..." Tsuna seemed to be looking into her soul in that moment to see if her words were true before his gaze lifted to the man with the metal pole as the weapon. "Release Yamamoto-kun."

"Y-yes sir!"

.

.

.

"Let's go."

Yamamoto didn't know what to say after watching Tsuna tied the unconscious mafiosi (which also happens to be Tsuna's doing) up with the ropes hat he had found in the janitor's closet, and from the looks of it, Ryohei didn't either. So, they only followed obediently after the brunet that seemed so different yet so _familiar_ at the same time.

They watched, confused, as Tsuna entered the school shed and came out with a bat, a few baseballs, and... and a brick?

"Uh... Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked.

"Hm?" The brunet hummed, continue walking as he tossed the brick in his hand up and down.

"What... are those for?"

Tsuna gave him an a look over his shoulder. "Isn't it obvious?"

"... no." Yamamoto answered, sweatdropping. "No, it isn't."

The brunet chuckle as he returned his gaze forward. "We're going to play a game~"

"... _huh?_ "

.

.

.

Reborn had only been gone for half a day. But in that half a day, things went from normal to dangerous within the blink of an eye. His intuition may not be on par with Vongola's Hyper Intuition, but he knew that something was off today. Heck, even Tsuna had warned him before earlier that morning when he woke Ienari up for the morning exercises.

However, he still decided to leave his student and his guardians because he could trust Tsuna to take care of things. (He trusted Tsuna enough to know that the boy would not allow anything to happen to those around him.) He had to have a talk with Colonello and Fon - the two Arcobalenos were currently in Japan for who-knows-what so Reborn wanted to rope them into helping with the Tenth Generation's training for the duration that they would be here.

And during one of those talks (Fon had agreed without much of a persuasion really), he got an alert from the bugs he planted at school that something was going on. So he had to cut it short and return to Namimori with two more Arcobalenos in tow.

When they reached the school, Shamal greeted them with a - "Is mafiosi invading the school a twist of yours or something?"

"... what." He _did_ hire some no-named assassins to come test (read: mess with) Ienari but that should be later in the day... when he was actually represent.

He took out a remote and pressed a few buttons that signaled for a part of the wall in the infirmary to part open like a sliding door and revealing four TV screen.

"... Why did you bug my workplace?" Shamal asked even though he wasn't going to be given an answer. "And I didn't peg you to tell the kid your secrets."

Reborn gave look that demanded the doctor to elaborate.

"Tsunayoshi." Shamal answered with a flourish of his hand on the empty bed that had yet to be fixed so it looked like someone had been sleeping there. "The kid was sniped on the shoulder so he had been brought in to be treated."

"... and he's gone?"

"Yup," Shamal responded, a hand resting on his chin as his elbow was propped up on his desk.

"When and where was this?"

"Around noon, down the hall."

Reborn rewinded the designated camera to the right time and the four of them re-watched the scenes that had occurred.

Colonello whistled, impressed. "I gotta say, the kid's got spunk, kora. Who's this Tsunayoshi?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," Reborn answered, his eyes not leaving the screen where Ienari and the guardians were running around like headless chickens because Tsuna was suddenly shot. That wouldn't do, Reborn would have to educate them on the proper procedures later on.

"Sawada?" Fon blinked. "What is his relation with Ienari?"

"Older twin."

"... what?" Colonello piped, eyes wide. "Oi oi, I thought the Decimo's an only child, kora!"

Reborn didn't bother to answer nor did Colonello and Fon pushed because they were going to get the answer sooner or later. They continued to watched, seeing Ienari getting knocked out and taken away, Hibari appearing and following but was then distracted by a clumsy student.

"Eh?" Fon voiced when he caught something at the corner of his eye. It showed what was currently happening, which was Tsuna putting on a play that had the enemy completely tongue-tied and -

Reborn smirked when Ryohei somehow got his Sun flames working (he silently thanked Tsuna for the tad bit of assistance). "Heh, guess we wouldn't even have to lift a finger."

"Oh?" Colonello raised a brow at Reborn.

"The child has complete control over the situation." Fon agreed with a nod. The Rain and Storm Arcobalenos were then startled at the roiling aura that Tsuna was leaking out even though they were only looking through a screen.

In the end, they saw that Tsuna didn't even need to lift a finger to making the opponents surrender. Well, there was that part where Tsuna found a bucket in the janitor's closet placed conveniently nearby and knocked them out with it before also finding ropes and tying the invading mafiosi up. Tsuna them looked directly into the camera as if he knew it was there and Colonello and Fon saw clear sunset-orange eyes with a matching smile that stunned them.

"You know, he looks... a lot like Vongola Primo, kora," Colonello mused after a while. "Especially with those eyes - wait, what's he gonna do with that brick?" They were now seeing Tsuna tossing a bright red rectangular stone up and down with an expression that was quite similar to...

Colonello, Fon, and Shamal turned to stare at Reborn.

"What?" The hitman asked. "I'm innocent."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Reborn scoffed and shrugged off the dubious looks he was receiving. It really wasn't _his_ fault (technically). "Let's go, we should get first row seats for this 'game' that Tsuna mentioned."

* * *

Scorpio Paolo, the don of the Scorpio Famiglia, looked at a struggling Decimo and his foul mouthed Storm, not understanding why the alliance head deemed that it wasn't time to put an end to Vongola yet. As of now, the Clams were already on the brink of being a thing of the past. The only things that had it lasting thus far were their utmost loyal allies and the Varia. Even then, there was a limit to how much they could do to let Vongola stay afloat.

Well... even though the alliance head haven't made a move, that didn't mean he wouldn't. Hell, there were plenty of famiglias out there who were plotting against Vongola right at this moment, some even from the allied sides (the ones that had a weaker tie to Vongola). After all, Vongola's been leading the mafia society for far too long, it was about time to for another Famiglia to take the throne.

He had brought up his plans for capturing Decimo and his guardians and bring Vongola down a notch, he hadn't expected the head alliance famiglia to offer a helping hand by sending one of their upper echelon members to assist him.

Copycat was one of the main forces that was under the head alliance's command and an illusionist to boot. Although not many knew of her real name or her origin, most of the mafia world knew of her reputation as the Master of Disguise - not because she was an illusionist. When Copycat wanted to disguise as someone, be it male or female, she would do so seamlessly, taking on their personality and their aura as if she had actually _became_ that person. Those who could call her out while she was in disguised were far and few and many wondered how she does it, but no one had been able to make her spill.

It didn't really matter to Paolo though. As long as Copycat got the job done - speaking of which, what was taking her so long after getting him Hurricane Bomb Hayato?

"You b*****ds! If you have the f***ing guts, then fight us!"

"Gokudera... please..."

"You should be more aware of your situation," Pabolo sneered. "I can kill you right now if I wanted to."

"You dare...!"

Pabolo laughed mockingly. "Why wouldn't I dare? With pipsqueaks like you two, Vongola's guarantee to not last for another year!"

"Oi, don't you dare look down on Juudaime!"

"Gokudera...!"

"Heh," Pabolo smirked as he towered over the two as he cracked his knuckles. "I'm looking down on your so called Decimo now, what are you going to do about it?"

"Why you -"

"Boss, someone's coming." One of his men reported.

"Is Copycat finally -"

"Eh? What's the occasion? Why are there so many businessmen at our school?"

Pabolo turned around and saw a brunet with anti-gravity hair and the strangest sunset-orange eyes he have seen so far. He frowned, wondering why a school kid was doing here of all places when they should've left the campus already. However, the boy seemed harmless enough so he didn't bother to put up his guard - nor did his men.

He was about to say something when his gaze landed on Yamamoto Takeshi and Sasagawa Ryohei, the to-be Rain and Sun guardians of Vongola respectively. (Vongola's security had weaken so much that they were able to hack in and obtain information on the Tenth Generation.) The latter two had tensed the moment his eyes landed on them.

Pabolo smirked, he didn't expect two of his targets would bring themselves right at his doorstep. "Well well well, if it isn't -"

"T-Tsuna?!" The Decimo had unknowingly cut him off when he recognized the scrawny brunet. "W-what are you doing here?!"

"Oh, Ienari? Gokudera-kun?" The brunet blinked as he looked around Pabolo and at Decimo and Gokudera Hayato, who had paled considerably. The Scorpio don inwardly scoffed at how the blonde still have the time to worry about _civilians._ "I was wondering where you were!"

"You idiot!" Gokudera exclaimed, struggling against his bind. "Why are you here?! Shouldn't you be in the infirmary - and _why_ did the two of you have to come?!"

Yamamoto and Ryohei only shrugged helplessly.

"I asked them to," The brunet answered for them and Pabalo wondered if the boy couldn't read what the current situation was but hey, he had brought him the Rain and Sun so he wasn't complaining. Said brunet then directed his attention back to Pabolo, looking quite oblivious that he wanted to laugh. "Hey mister, are you a friend of Ienari's?"

"Friend?" Pabolo sneered, deciding to humor the kid before offing him. He didn't want witnesses and it was just killing one kid, the Vindice wouldn't get on his case because of that. If they had actually been like the police, then illegal human trafficking and experiments wouldn't have still existed. He knew that the Vindice have their own agendas and would only act when it was within their own interest. "Of course. I haven't seen him and his friends in a while so I thought I would give a visit."

"Oh?" Tsuna smiled, accepting Pabolo's words. "You look European... I didn't know Ienari know a foreign businessman."

"The world works in strange ways little boy," Pabolo grinned.

"Oh, I quite agree with that." Maybe it was his imagination but Pabalo swore he had just saw a knowing smirk. But it had been so brief that he might have seen wrong. "Ah, I don't think I have introduced myself, the name's Tsunayoshi but you can call be Tsuna for short!"

"And you can call me Pabolo."

Tsuna nodded as if obeying. "Ne, I have a question, Pabolo-san."

"Go on."

"Since Ienari and Gokudera-kun's all tied up, are you guys currently playing the mafia game?"

"... what?" Pabolo stared blankly at the air of innocent that the brunet was emitting. _This brat... believed that the mafia... is a game?_

"Yeah, why else would they be tied up?"

.

.

.

"Pffft... HAHAHAHA!" Pabolo couldn't hold it in anymore and laughed out loud at how silly the kid was being to think that mafia was game.

While Pabolo was laughing hysterically, Ienari had groaned and glared at Tsuna. He may have accepted the brunet as his brother but this was just too much. "He's an idiot. _A real idiot_. How could he think all of this is a joke? We're are all going to _die_ and he doesn't even know it."

He wasn't sure that was going on in his brother's head but it definitely wasn't working properly. Why does Tsuna have to be so -

"... what's so funny?" The brunet still had the audacity to ask.

"Yamamoto, Ryohei..." Ienari begged. " _Please_ , just - just take him away..."

Tsuna made a face and folded his arms across his chest. "Why do you make it sound like I have a few screw loose?"

"..."

"Fine, be that way." Tsuna huffed when he received on answer; instead, he directed his attention to someone esle. "Ne, Pabolo-san, are you done laughing?"

Said man was holding onto his stomach, wheezing due to the lack of air. He took a few deep breathes before regaining his composure. "I say, Tsuna, you're quite an amusing little boy. Just for making me laugh, I'll spare your insignificant life."

"What." Tsuna deadpanned, skeptical.

"Don't ask," Ienari gritted his teeth. "Just - just _leave already!_ "

"No." Tsuna refused adamantly.

"What?!"

"Not until you all play baseball with me."

.

.

.

"The _f***?_ " Although he had seen Tsuna in a knew light, Gokudera couldn't help giving Tsuna an incredulous look. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Like I said, baseball." Tsuna pointed at the bat and then gestured to the bag of baseballs with something red buried in it.

"Look kid," Pabolo started, finally starting to get impatient with the brunet. "I'm already being merciful so scram or else."

"Merciful?" Tsuna raised a brow. "I beg to differ. Don't tell me you guys are afraid that you'll lose..."

Pabolo's eye twitched. "Me? Lose in a mere game of baseball?"

"Well, yeah," The brunet grinned mischievously as he shifted his weight to from one foot to another, looking completely relaxed. "I mean, you're all businessmen. I doubt any of you can hit the ball when all you have done is to knock from door to door and selling whatever product you're promoting."

"You...!" One of Pabolo's men pointed at the brunet. "We're mafiosi dammit!"

" _Suuure_ you are," Tsuna _sneered_ , and it just so happens that Pabolo was easily provoked because he despised being looked down on. (And it was by a mere brat to boot!) "But I would think that mafiosi could do this much right? It _is_ just _baseball_ after all, just swinging a bat and hitting a ball, not shooting down a running target."

"Kid, you don't know who you're dealing with." Pabolo growled. "What makes you think I don't know how to swing a bat? I'll show you that the Scorpio Famiglia are more than skilled enough in hitting a ball!"

"I don't think a _mafioso_ such as yourself would go back on your words so..." A grin stretched on Tsuna's lips as he gave Pabolo the baseball bat, then pulled Yamamoto and Ryohei away to make distance. "You and your people will be batting and we'll be pitching! It's just one round of baseball, if you can't hit a ball in three pitches, then you lose. But if you do and we can't catch it in one shot, then we lose okay? Okay!"

It was only then that Pabolo stared at the wooden bat in a daze. "What... just happened?"

.

.

.

"Heh, that was so _easy_." Tsuna's lips turned upwards into a small smirk as he watched the man who was supposed to be the boss of this Scorpio Famiglia that he had been so _proud_ to announce to the world. Tsuna had been talking in a roundabout way at the start to get a hint of what kind of person Pabolo was, but when he concluded that the man was too full of himself, he decided to start fishing.

It was hook, line, and sinker after that. However, if Pabolo had been one of those keener mafia dons, then Tsuna wouldn't have been able to lead the man in the dance, which would then force Tsuna to use the alternative plans and revise based on what has already occurred.

Thankfully, he didn't.

"Alright, Ryo-nii," Tsuna turned to the boxer and pointed in a direction. "You know where you should go."

Said teen snapped out of his daze and saluted with a grin before dashing off. Tsuna then turned to Yamamoto, who was blinking owlishly.

"Yamamoto-kun," He gave the tall ravenet a pat on the shoulder and shove a baseball in his hand. " _Knock them dead ~_ "

Yamamoto didn't know why, there was a chill running down his spine the moment he heard Tsuna's sing-a-long voice. However, he shook it off and only gave the brunet a strange look, remembering the brief talk that the latter gave them just before approaching the mafiosi.

 **"So, we're going to go up there and let me do all the talking, alright?" Tsuna instructed sternly, stuffing the brick into the net of baseballs to the point that it was barely noticeable. "Both of you have to keep mum."**

 **"Tsuna..." Yamamoto furrowed his brows, worried and confused. "Do you... do you _know_ what we're up against?"**

 **Tsuna cast a quick glance towards the field, then back at Yamamoto before saying in a very serious manner. "Businessmen trying to hoodwink my brother into buying their products."**

 **"..." Yamamoto didn't know what to response with. Heck, even Ryohei was staring at the brunet strangely without an utterance of 'extreme'.**

 **"Anyways," Tsuna didn't seem to particularly care for the looks he was getting. "Just stay quiet alright? When the time is right, Ryo-nii , you should get as close as possible to Ienari and Gokudera-kun without looking suspicious and start taking them out when they're distracted. And Yamamoto, you're going to do so by pitching."**

 **"... what?"**

 **"Don't question it," Tsuna did the zipping motion on his lips. "I just want you to throw the baseball in a straight line with all you got like you have a bone to pick with someone because they stole your - uh ... sushi... ?"**

 **"But I don't get angry over sushi..." Yamamoto commented honestly. "If people want to try my sushi, I don't mind sharing."**

 **"... you get the point."**

 _A straight line...?_ Yamamoto thought as he stared at a readying Pabolo (he couldn't believe that man was actually playing along) and realized that behind him were the men guarding - oh.

 _Oh._

 _OH._

"Haha, I get it!" Yamamoto grinned, things clicking in place. "This is going to be fun!"

"Quit dawdling and pitch already!" One of Pabolo's men shouted.

"Haha, sorry, sorry!" The ravenet scratched the back of his head before getting ready in the pitching stance that he haven't done in a while. He solidified himself on one foot while the other started to lift up and he raised his hands above his shoulder and next to his head.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Yamamoto said before his eyes had gone sharp, his hitman-like instincts kicking up the moment he pitched.

Pabolo's eyes widened when -

 ** _Swoosh!_**

\- the baseball seemed to be traveling at the speed of a bullet. It sped past his ears, causing it to pop involuntarily before - **_Bonk!_** \- promptly knocking one of the unlucky men that had been standing right in the baseball's flight path.

"Strike one!" Tsuna happily exclaimed with an indexed finger raised, counting. "That's some beautiful pitching Yamamto-kun!"

"Haha, thanks!"

"Okay, next!"

"Wait -"

 ** _Swoosh!_**

Pabolo instinctively ducked this time because _holy sh** what kind of pitching is that?!_

 ** _Bonk!_**

And another man fell victim to Yamamoto's inhumane pitching. (Tsuna was inwardly glad that the Yamamoto of this world could still deliver a mean pitch.)

"Strike two!" Tsuna chirped again before handing something... _heavier_ in Yamamoto's hand. The latter entered into a zone so he didn't even notice what was placed in his hand. "Make it easy on the batter and aim straight at him alright ~ ?"

"Sure thing coach!"

"Wait, is that -"

 ** _Swoosh - thwack!_**

A solid red _brick_ came smacking squarely into Pabolo's face and... well, he was _out_. (Both metaphorically and physically.)

"Eh?" Yamamoto blinked innocently when he realized what he had thrown wasn't a ball. "When did that get there?"

"No idea." A smirk tugged at Tsuna's lips again as he walked over to the mafia don while the others haven't caught up with the situation yet. He poked at Pabolo with a stick that he found lying on the ground as if he was dealing with a roadkill. "Man, he's out cold. I thought he could've stand that hit since his ego was so inflated."

Tsuna deflated in disappointment before turning and checking on how Ryohei had been doing. The boxer was happily punching the daylight out of the stunned mafiosi the moment Yamamoto made his first pitch.

The five or so men left finally came out of their dazed state and immediately pulled out their pistols.

"Y-you..."

"W-what the _f*** -_ " However, before they could even pull the trigger -

 ** _Boom!_**

\- an explosion was made in the nearby school building, creating a gigantic hole on the third floor. Everyone watched as one silhouette after another jumped down, then clashed once before putting themselves at a distance from each other.

"Ah, so that's where they were," Tsuna commented nonchalantly when he recognized Hibari and Rokudo. He blinked and grabbed one of the unused baseballs in the netted bag before pitching it forwards. It made contact with air, but then the space twisted and a girl appeared in a swirl of mists, a baseball caught in her hand.

"What the hell - huh?!" The girl had been incredulous at being detected so quickly, but then her expression turned into that of shock when she saw several mafiosi lying on the ground, including on Scorpio down who was bleeding out due to a brick, apparently. "Well... this is unexpected."

"You're telling me." Tsuna shot back, his gaze solemn as he briefly locked onto the bland mask that the ravenette had around her waist. He didn't let it linger long enough for the girl to notice though. "Who are you?"

The ravenette stuck her tongue out childishly at the brunet. "I'm out."

Realizing that the enemy was about to leave, Hibari and Rokudo made the last ditch effort to get a hit in; however, their attacks were only met with disappearing mist.

The Skylark let a growl tore through his throat at letting the illusionist escape just like that, but he couldn't do anything about it. Instead, he shot a glare at Rokudo, who shrugged and disappeared, leaving Dokuro to regain control of her body.

"Tch." Mist users, they were so damn annoying to deal with.

Tsuna only shook his head at Hibari's silent brooding before his Hyper Intuition spiked up in alarm. He spun around only to see one of the yet-to-be-dealt-with mafiosi aiming a gun -

(When he reflect back on his actions of this day in the near future, Tsuna reprimanded himself for still being the same idiot that couldn't think properly when his family is in immediate danger. Several others would agree wholeheartedly.)

"No...!" He exclaimed, already in motion with flames accelerating his speed to the max, not caring if it was visible or not, and -

 ** _Thunk, crack..._**

Nana held back a gasp when she had dropped the mug she was holding, spilling its content onto the floor. Her heart suddenly felt uneasy, as if something bad had happened.

She crouched down to carefully pick up the now-broken mug that Tsuna had gave her not too long ago; however, she had paused in the process, the image of her eldest son's face crossing her mind.

She shook her head, deciding to force herself to push away the sudden anxiety and gingerly picked up the cracked mug before getting a rag to do away the spill.

An idea came to Nana's mind after cleaning and with a bright smile, she opened the fridge to gather ingredients to make preparations. "I'll make Tsu-kun's favorites for dinner!"

.

.

.

 ** _Thud..._**

.

.

.

"... Tsuna?"

* * *

 **Alright. Another cliffhanger. Shoot me if you want but it doesn't change anything, sorry :D**

 **Tsuna seemed to be targeted by a bullet one too many times recently - don't worry, there won't be a next time... at least I think there won't.** **And a show of Tsuna's... crafty side. (Reborn should be proud.)**

 **Thanks to** _Kyara17, Undertheskys, Mayu, Yuki, okay2304, PhantomCielo27, JustSome01, D C JoKeR H S, Candyqueen-sama, Caleo Ignacium, angelaneahwalker, thor94, Chew Chew, doremishine itsuko, vampireharry the 2, Sora Rider X, MayaHikari_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	28. Bonds

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

His surroundings seemed to fade as Ienari had watched his brother pushing him of the way - _again -_ and the lifeless body on the ground just seemed so _familiar._

(Familiar Sky flames cackled as they immersed themselves in burning away the chains. This time, they succeeded in melting everything away, bring to surface the rest of what once had been restriction in his mind.)

.

.

.

 _He shouldn't have persuaded his sickly brother to go the playground with him that day. It was his fault that they landed themselves in the wrong hands that time._

 _And they had to pay the price for it. Especially his older twin._

.

.

 **"Hehe, I was told to kill you two brats but they never said to give a quick and painless death."**

 **"No!" The brunet shouted adamantly, completely different from his usual demeanor, when the scary man approached Ienari first. "Evil man can't hurt Nari -" _Cough cough!_**

 **"O-Onii-san!"**

 **Even though Tsuna was shielding for the blonde, the latter had to support the former when he started to cough due to the ever-heightening fever.**

 **"I-I'm okay..." The small brunet assured, though his croaking voice didn't sound too convincing.**

 **"O-Onii-san... I-I'm scared..." The younger grabbed at the older tightly. "M-make this n-nightmare go away...!"**

 **"Okay," Tsuna tried to comfort the blonde by stroking his head. "Onii-san will make it go away so Nari-kun won't be scared any more."**

 **"Ho," The man smirked, looking from Ienari to Tsuna. "What a show of brotherly love, I'm really touched by the display."**

 **Brown eyes narrowed as menacingly as they could, and they succeeded in sending chills down the man's spine by how eerie they were to switch between orange and brown. He clicked his tongue, forcing himself to brush it off as he took Tsuna and lift him by the throat akin to that of someone butchering a chicken.**

 **"O-Onii-san! L-Let go of him!"**

 **The man ignored Ienari trying to attack his leg while Tsuna's tiny hands many a fruitless attempt of trying to loosen the death grip so he could breath.**

 **"You..." Tsuna didn't relent his glare as the man spoke, unsettling him even more. "I don't like those eyes of yours."**

 **In the next moment, all the brunet saw was a flash of steel and then -**

 **"AAAAHHHHH!"**

 **\- his sight was no more.**

 **"ONII-SAN!"**

 **.**

 **.**

 _No... nonononono...! This isn't happening._ _This isn't happening this isn't happening t_ _hisisn'thappening_ t **H** _I_ **s I _S_** _n '_ **t H _a_ p** _P e_ **N** i **_n G... !_**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Little Ienari shook with fear as he tried to stop the bleeding that came from Tsuna's face but his brother didn't seem to be able to stop crying out red tears. "O-Onii-san... Onii-san..!"**

 **"I-it hurts..." Tsuna whimpered, curling up in a ball. It had been a miracle that the boy was still conscious.**

 **Seeing his big brother in that wretched state, Ienari somehow mustered enough courage to stand and attack the evil stranger that kidnapped them. "Why did you hurt Onii-san?!"**

 **That charge was a mistake, he would soon realized, because with just one slap from the man, Ienari had skidded several feet away.**

 **"Stupid brat." The man growled and gave a few harsh kicks at the little blonde. "I have enough of your whining."**

 **"Let's see if you make make another sound after this."**

 **"No... N-not Nari-kun... Nari-kun run!" Tsuna had warned even as he entered into motion. He may not be able to see anymore but something in his head told him where the man and Ienari was.**

 **"Onii-san, h-help - AHHHHH!"**

 **"NARI!" Bright orange flames burst into life around the brunet's body, its tendrils wild and wrecking havoc to the surrounding blindly and _free_ from the seal that it once had to _burn_ everything that it touches.**

 **The building had soon been wreathed in bright orange flames, the air filled with screams of agony and of pleads.**

 **By the time someone found the two boys, one had been shivering like no tomorrow in a corner, protected by a thin veil of orange while there had been a few cuts here and there, the other was laying in a pool of blood, shallow breathes were present but almost** _nonexistent_ ** _._**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 _This is just a dream right? I don't want to see this. Not any of this. I don't -_ _Wake up wakeupwakeupwakup -_

 ** _Whack!_**

\- and Ienari gained his wish courtesy of the one-ton Leon-hammer. He was by no means a masochist but he never thought he would one day be so happy to be hit by the blasted hammer -

"Snap out of it Baka-Nari or the next one's gonna be a hundred-ton."

\- nor did he think he would feel so _relief_ at hearing and seeing Reborn.

"R-Reborn...!" The blonde stammered, hands shaking as he took the infant by his small frame. "M-my brother - he -"

"I _know_." The hitman sighed with agitation. "Shamal had already performed hands-on surgery and I have healed Tsuna's wound with Sun flames but we still need to get him to the hospital quickly."

"But..."

"Ienari," Reborn stare straight into the boy's chestnut brown eyes. "He'll _live_."

"... R-Reborn... I -" Ienari's voice quivered as his fear-filled eyes traveled to the unconscious brunet who was now on a Leon-stretcher. "I _remembered_."

.

.

.

Reborn would be lying if he hadn't panic for that one moment when Tsuna had been shot. He hadn't been fast enough to intervene but he _should have_ prevented something like this happening. He was supposed to be the _World's Greatest Hitman_ dammit! Something like preventing from the worst possible outcome was supposed to be his forte!

"You okay there, kora?" Colonello asked, resting a hand on Reborn's shoulder. The Rain Arcobaleno had to assist with pouring a doze of Rain flames over Tsuna's _wild_ ones so that Shamal could perform hands-on operation to treat the wound. Heck, the doctor had to ask _Fon_ to use _Storm_ flames disintegrate the bullet that had embedded deep within Tsuna's chest - and that required a great deal of effort because one wrong move would damage Tsuna's vital organs.

Reborn forced his hands to un-clench themselves and nodded curtly. He put his hands over Tsuna's wound and sunny yellow flames danced into existence. Once the wound was closed, he motioned for Leon to turn into a stretcher and place the shape-shifter next to the brunet. He then ordered the frozen guardians to get Tsuna on the stretched and get him to the hospital asap.

Then he'd gotten on Ienari's case.

That one had been a surprise as well because the memories that Ienari had unknowingly locked away came back, and Reborn felt that the gaps in his information has finally been filled. He would have to say, Ienari really had been an idiot when he was a child... to have dragged his _sick_ brother out _without_ adult supervision of all things.

"I need you to go back and tell Mama that Tsuna's going to be staying at a friend's house. You need to act as if nothing happened, understand?"

"W-what?" Ienari stammered, startled. "But..."

"Do you _want_ Mama to worry about the possibility of losing her eldest _again?_ "

After that reasoning, Ienari got up on his feet and rush back home.

"Don't you think the parent has the right to know what happened to her child?" Fon voiced after Ienari had been out of earshot.

"... Tsuna wouldn't want people to worry." Reborn responded, pulling his fedora down. "Let's go clean this place up. I got some questions for the Scorpios that I want answers to."

Colonello and Fon exchanged a brief look before following after Reborn.

* * *

It had been a day since the incident and Ienari, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Dokuro were now standing in front of the hospital room where Tsuna was said to be admitted into. The blonde had told his friends that he was going to visit his brother, which had lead to the others expressing their desire to tag along too. And quite adamantly at that.

But now that they were in front of their destination...

"So... are we going in?" Yamamoto asked somewhat uncertainly.

"W-what if he's asleep?" Dokuro mumbled, shifting nervously. "W-we might be a bother..."

"Che, we wouldn't know unless we enter right?" Gokudera said but he made no move to follow through with his words. (Clearly, he was torn between going in and not.)

Ryohei had been silent but him lacking his usual enthusiasm already spoke volumes of how he was trying to be considerate.

Ienari himself had a hand against the door as if he was about to knock but didn't. He looked at his group of friends, brows furrowed. "M-maybe Tsuna's still resting. I mean -"

"What are you all dawdling in front of the door for?"

"Ah!" Ienari had been startled by his tutor's sudden appearance that he had jumped about a foot in the air. "R-Reborn?"

"You're quite jittery there Decimo, kora!" Colonello commented. He and Fon had also tagged along because they were a tad bit curious about the elder twin whom Reborn had given them information about the night before.

"I see that you're all trying to be considerate," Fon nodded his head in approval. "It seems that your bonds have been improving recently."

"It _only_ took two years." Reborn snarked back at the Storm Arcobaleno's remark. He then turned towards Ienari. "Well? What are you all waiting for?"

"But..."

Reborn ignored what may have been an excuse and trotted to the door of Room 115 -

"Wait -!"

 ** _Slam!_**

\- and promptly kicked it down.

When he saw was just what he'd expected to happen - which was a _conscious_ Tsuna up and in the motion of _trying to get out of bed_ -

 ** _Click._**

\- he already had Leon morphed into a gun.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Um... getting out...?" Tsuna was getting the feeling of deja vu, his leg now danging on the side of the bed and would have touched the ground if he hadn't been caught red-handed.

"It's only been _a day_."

"Well, yeah -"

"Did you forget the fact that you have been punctured through the _heart_ by a bullet?"

Compared to the grimaces that everyone else wore when they heard Reborn, the brunet hadn't so much as _wince_ as if that kind of wound was a very normal occurrence. "Well, _no_ -"

"Then get your a** back on that piece of mattress. _Now_."

"But I'm fi -"

 ** _Bang!_**

Tsuna rolled over and hid behind the bed to dodge the bullet that was now embedded in the wall behind the spot he had been seconds prior.

"Finish that sentence and I guarantee that the next one will put you to sleep. **_Permanently_**."

"..." Tsuna sweatdropped but he was prudent enough to crawl back on the hospital bed, pulled the covers over his body, and obediently lied still like the _good_ patient he was supposed to be.

The others had watched, speechless, with a gaping mouth as the scene played itself out. It was only when a nurse came that they snapped out of their daze.

"What was that noise just now?" She asked, frowning. "Don't you know that we have patients all around and they need all the rest that they could get?"

"Yeah, Tsuna," Reborn gave the sweating brunet a sneer. " _Patients_ need _all_ the _rest_ they can get."

"Haha..." The boy laughed nervously, sweating bullets. "R-right. Sorry about that Miss... I err... dropped a book."

The nurse huffed and folded her arms across her chest in disapproval. "Well, make sure to be careful next time. And have your visitors keep their volume to the minimum, understand? I wouldn't be surprise a group this big makes a ruckus."

"... Yes, m'am."

.

.

.

"... pfft...!" It was only after the nurse left that Colonello failed to keep his laughter in. "That was golden, kora!" He hopped onto the edge of the bed and gave Tsuna a thumbs-up. "You're as interesting as Reborn says! Name's Colonello, kora!"

Fon shook his head and entered the room after Reborn and Colonello, the rest following after the Storm Arcobaleno. He took a spot next to Colonello and did a traditional bow. "Hello Tsunayoshi, I am Fon."

Tsuna stared for several long seconds before flicking his gaze towards Reborn.

"Only the things on record unless you will allow it." The hitman answered vaguely.

"Oh," Tsuna was relieved to hear that Reborn was considerate enough not to tattletale off about his origins. He faced Colonello and Fon again, dipping his head in a polite greeting. "Nice to meet you two."

"Tsuna!" Yamamoto spoke up, gaining said boy's attention. "You shouldn't be moving so much like that, what if you get in an accident?"

"What accident can he get into dumbass?" Gokudera retorted in his usual ill-tempered manner. "This is the _hospital_." (He has no idea that hospitals weren't exactly safe if Tsuna was one of the residences. Having his guardians fussing over his well-being was... well, like going into a warzone, because they often _over-_ fuss over everything - Tsuna still remembered that one time when he barely avoided having a _pool-size jacuzzi_ built into the hospital room that he once stayed in.)

"That wasn't very extreme Tsuna," Ryohei had to agree with the ravenet as he loomed over the brunet with the others.

"Um... T-Tsuna..." Dukuro spoke meekly and hesitantly handed the teen a bouquet of flowers that she had bought along the way to the Naimori General Hospital. "P-please don't be so reckless or you won't get better..."

"A-ah...?" Tsuna jolted, absentmindedly took the bundle of get-well flowers and his slowly-functioning gears wondered if he was seeing this right because, for all the time he has stayed in this world, he was not used to... _this_.

"Tsuna..." Ienari was on the verge of crying tears of happiness to see Tsuna _alive and_ _breathing_ \- completely different to the image that had been locked away in his memories and of yesterday. "Y-you're okay..."

Sunset-orange eyes stared, somewhat dumbfounded at how Ienari and his guardians were showering him _this_ much concern.

... He was _definitely_ not used to this. (Did the sun rise from the west instead of the east today?!)

Tsuna blinked owlishly for several long seconds before returning their gestures with a kind smile, heart feeling warm. "... Thanks, you guys... but it wasn't _that_ bad was it?"

"What are you saying?" Ienari disagreed with a frown. "You... you could have _died_ and - and I just wouldn't know _what_ to think if you - and what about Mom and -"

"Ienari, slow down," Yamamoto tried to placate, giving the blonde a pat on the back to jump-start him back to reality. "Tsuna's all better now and that's all that matters!"

Said brunet chuckled, bring all the attention back to himself. "Don't get worked up over little things like this. It would take a lot more to get rid of me, right?"

"..."

Tsuna smiled _brilliantly_ as he placed a hand on Ienari's head when he didn't give an answer (the latter had sat down on the available chair next to Tsuna). " _Right,_ Ienari?"

"R-Right!" The younger twin squeaked, the sense of fear pervading him at how scary Tsuna's sugary-sweet smile seemed to be.

The action caused the brunet to laugh again. "Gee, Ienari, are you that easily spooked?"

"W-what, you - _Onii!"_ Ienari deigned to _whine_.

.

.

.

Tsuna's smile stayed fixed in place while the room descended into an unusual silence. He then pointed at himself and with a tilt of his head, he asked half amused half confused, "... Ogre?" ******

"Pffft..." Yamamoto covered his mouth when he failed to held back a laugh. "S-sorry but - haha... i-it's just... Tsuna doesn't look anywhere _near_ as scary as an ogre!"

"Haha EXTREMELY not scary at all!"

"Shut up! Juudaime's brother can look scary all he likes!"

"What - _no_!" Ienari flailed, flapping his arms. He then ducked his head down and played with his hands. "I just thought... well, you're my _brother_ so maybe I should start calling you by the proper honorifics but 'Aniki' didn't sound right and - and 'Onii-san' just seem... childish so... um..."

"Ienari." Tsuna called, eyes dancing with mirth. "I can't understand you if you're mumbling."

"... I'm not mumbling." Ienari... well, mumbled.

"Aw, I have never seen Nari this shy before!" Yamamoto teased, swinging an arm over the blonde's shoulder.

"Oi, back off sword-freak! You're making Juudaime uncomfortable!"

"Maa maa, Nari doesn't mind, right?"

"Uh..."

"Of course he does!" Gokudera hissed, a dynamite in hand. "Just look at how stiff Juudaime is! So back _off!_ "

"Gokudera, I don't think you should -"

"You should all EXTREMELY settle this like real men!"

"I don't think that's a good idea." Ienari said. "I mean this _is_ the hospital and my brother's a patient here..."

The three Arcobaleno watched the group of teens interact, noting how _natural_ they seem to be with each other.

"Do they realize they're harmonizing with Tsunayoshi?" Fon offhandedly commented. "Even Ienari is being pulled in."

"An all-encompassing Sky isn't limited to six other elements." Reborn commented.

"The kid sure is special," Colonello whistled just as things were about to get out of hand on Ienari's end with the bomber and the boxer somehow managing to get into a disagreement. None of them bothered to stop the soon-to-be chaos though since it was quite a sight to behold.

"Haha, Tsuna, your plan yesterday was awesome!" Yamamoto complimented suddenly. "How did you come that up on the spot?"

"I have been playing a few strategy games recently." The brunet countered smoothly. "I just applied what I have learned to your mafia game."

They all blinked, thinking back to that strange yet familiar feeling of _Sky flames_ that sudden appeared but disappeared just as quick as if it was just their imagination - which they were starting to believe so because the moment had been so fleeting and they didn't dare to bring it up if Tsuna didn't.

Ienari shook his head and sighed in defeat, deciding to no longer bother to correct his brother of reality. "Only you would think of it as -"

"Since we're on the topic," Reborn entered into the conversation and effectively cutting Ienari off. His eyes were gleaming evilly as he looked towards the blonde and his guardians. "We got _a_ _lot_ to do. Your performance when suddenly placed in that kind of situation was _horrid_."

He gave his student a chilling smirk. "Would you like to hear my opinion?"

"But..." Ienari gulped. "How did you...?"

"I bugged the entire school, Baka-Nari." Reborn chuckled. "You really think I would just leave you to your own devices? Of course not. Now, I repeat, would you like to hear what I think of your performance?"

"No..."

"Good, because you're going to hear it anyways."

"..."

"Let's start with your overall score. If this had actually been a test, I would have failed you the moment Tsuna was shot the first time. Was your Hyper Intuition asleep or something? Or is it that you weren't listening to it like I told you to - I'm not done yet." Reborn shot down whatever Ienari had to say and continued with his evaluation, his hand playing with the trigger on Leon-gun. "All of your reaction speeds towards the situation was just _too slow."_

The hitman took his time tutting and shaking his head mockingly. "More so than that, you spend a good five minutes acing like _headless chickens._ If not for Tsuna taking control and telling you all to shut up, then I would have a pretty good guess as to how long you would continue doing so."

"I told them to snap out of it, not shutting up." Tsuna mumbled indignantly. "And that's not called controlling the situation."

"Did I ask for your opinion? No." Reborn asked and answered the question for the brunet, making the latter roll his eyes discreetly. "Now, shut up _all_ of you and listen. Baka-Nari, you and your guardians took more than _five_ minutes to come up with a plan and following it through when any other experienced mafioso would have responded within _seconds_. I have to praise Hiabri and Chrome for responding in a relatively shorter time period though, but that's all they get from me. The so-called Earthquake drill _might_ be a good idea... if you didn't take into account that there would be enemy off school grounds and they could very well take civilians under hostage - and the fact that you made the announcement but then _left the students to their own accords_... really, that was _pathetic_."

By now, there had been quite a few verbal arrows stabbing Ienari and his friends' head... not that Reborn cared because he was more than happy to continue his verbal assault.

"And you, Baka-Nari," The Sun Arcbaleno pointed. "You got yourself abducted from the very start. What the _hell_ was that? I expected you to at least _notice_ that you were in danger and what did I tell you to have at least one of your guardians with you at all times? You're the heir to Vongola, Baka-Nari, drilled it into that thick skull of yous because that is a very _big_ deal. The fact that you were kidnapped so easily is an insult to Vongola's capabilities - but more importantly, it was an insult to _me_ because I taught you better _,_ understand?"

"... Yes, sir."

"And Tsuna."

"Uh... yes?"

"Your strategy wasn't half bad," Reborn _complimented._ "I personally like the brick part."

Tsuna felt a chill run up his spine but forced himself to smile. "T-thanks?"

Colonello wasn't as discreet with his thoughts since his was displaying his appalled expression for the world to see. "Reborn just gave out a compliment, the world must be ending!"

Fon had unknowingly nod his head in agreement.

"... do the both of you want lead in your heads?"

* * *

 **[Location: Italy]**

"... what?" The man sitting behind the mahogany desk uttered, a frown etched across his features. "Pabolo was taken down?"

Copycat bobbed her head in confirmation. "I was playing a bit with Vongola's young Mist and Cloud that time so I didn't exactly see what happened but the moment I got on the scene, I saw that Scorpio guy out cold on the ground." She paused as if remembering something, then added. "I think he was done in by a brick..."

"... A brick." The man deadpanned.

"Yeah..." Copycat answered somewhat unwillingly. "It would seem that Ryohei Sasagawa was the one who had finished off his lackeys and apparently, the loud one managed to tap into his flame reservoir so he's now flame-active."

"..."

"I say, Boss," Copycat folded her arms across her chest, lips set into an indignant pout. "I don't think I'll be able to continue to poss as a student of Namimori High anymore. That boy from the Hibari clan seemed to have recognized my origin. Knowing his clan and their wide connection of networks, I wouldn't be surprised if I'm found out within a month."

Her leader remained silent for a few seconds longer before sigh. "Fine, you can stop going incognito."

"Oh yay~!" Copycat cheered and went around the table to give the man a hug like a child to a parent. "You're the best Boss!"

"Copycat... I'm your boss."

"That's what I said!"

"... Remind me again why I took you in as my Mist?'

"Because I'm the best assassin you have and I hate those stupid geezers of my clan for trying to keep me on a leash yet doesn't even plan on making me the next clan head!"

"And you swore your absolute loyalty to me when I promise to help you ascend to your desired position, right?"

"Right~!"

"Then get off of me."

Copycat pouted but obeyed, skipping back to her place in front. "You're no fun Boss."

"... If you weren't one of a kind, then I wouldn't have tolerated you for so long."

"Hehe, I know Boss loves me~"

"You..."

"Oh look at the time, I gotta go byeeeeee~!"

The man sighed exasperatedly as the young woman dashed out. "She's like a kid even though she's well into her prime."

A chuckle entered the room and a man with smooth auburn hair tied back into a low ponytail came in. One hand playing with a short jagged dagger while the was tucked away in his pant pockets. The most prominent features on his face were those sharp green eyes and the scar that ran from the root of his forehead completely down the side of his face. "Copycat does have her mature moments, Itzal."

"Vincent," The man now known as Itzal greeted with a curt nod. "What's your report on the Simons?"

"Well... "

* * *

"We're home," Tsuna alerted the Sawada residence. He had, thankfully, been allowed to leave the hospital with Ienari and friends - though the doctors were quite reluctant at first. (It was only after Reborn had a _talk_ with them that they relented and no, Tsuna did not want to know what kind of talk that was.)

"Tsu-kun?" Nana poked her head out from the living room to make sure she didn't hear wrong.

"Ka -" The brunet had been taken by surprised when his mother rushed up to him and suddenly had him at arms length for inspection. "Kaa-san?"

"Tsu-kun, you're okay!" Nana sighed in relief after making sure that her Tsuna was well. She then took him into her arms, holding him ever-so tightly as if he would disappear the moment she let go. "I had the terrible feeling that something happened to you!"

"I-it was just a sleepover Kaa-san..." Tsuna assured the Sawada matriarch but still felt guilty for lying. "I don't think anything could happen when sleeping over at a friend's house."

"I know, I know," Nana said softly. "Call it a mother's intuition okay? It was just a feeling but I'm glad it was wrong. Thank goodness that Tsu-kun didn't leave me again."

Tsuna blinked his owlish eyes before softening his glazed orbs. His hands that had been staying frozen in the air as if unsure of whether to return Nana's hug or not finally started to move. He still had some of his reservations before because even though Nana was his mother, it wasn't _his_ mother, so his guilt of replacing Tsunayoshi has kept him of expressing himself as the child he really was inside.

"I'm sorry that I worried you, Kaa-san," Tsuna apologized gently, arms gently wrapping around the mother that was his-yet-not. "I won't leave anymore without telling Kaa-san first."

(That was as close to a promise as he was willing to go, because he was unsure if he could keep it someday.)

"Un!" Nana smiled, unknown of the tears that was starting to fall on the corner of her eyes. She then saw Ienari and bade him over. "Na-kun, you too."

"E-eh?" The blonde had been standing on the side awkwardly, feeling somewhat envious that Tsuna had all of their mother's affections so he was quite startled when Nana suddenly called him over. He pointed at himself, staring widely. "M-me?"

"Mm."

Ienari was hesitant at first, but with the encouraging look he was gaining from Tsuna, he stepped forward. He had only gotten halfway before Nana pulled him in and hold both boys tightly. "No matter what, both are you are my sons, understand? You can't leave without telling me, you hear?"

"... Of course, Kaa-san."

"Y-yeah..." Ienari mumbled, burying his face into his mother's shoulder. "... I'm sorry mom." _For everything._

Nana's shoulders sagged, finally being able to released the unknown stress that had always been weighing her down.

It would have been a heartwarming scene if Lambo didn't come in.

"Lambo-san wants a hug too!"

Tsuna chuckled, pulling out of Nana's hold and caught the pouncing cow-child in his arms. He idly noted that Lambo's grip was tighter than usual and visibly shaking, but not out of excitement. It prompted him to stroke the child's head in comfort, eyes softening towards the anxious child.

He seemed to have underestimated the child's sensibility...

"Don't worry Lambo, as long as you're willing, we won't leave you out," Tsuna reassured quietly.

Lambo's eyes flashed and he unconsciously trembled.

 **"Do you see him anywhere?" One mafioso of the Bovino Famgilia asked another.**

 **"Out of sight," The other replied with a smug smile hanging on his lips. "And hopefully, he won't find his way back this time."**

 **Lambo listened absentmindedly from an alley way where he was hiding from the so-called bodyguards that had took him out to play, but then shook him off for the umpteenth time.**

 **He watched as they walk away, lips pursed but kept his tears from falling. He may be a child but he wasn't an idiot.**

 **His father disliked him because he blamed Lambo for the cause of his mother's death. Death by child birth. That dislike lead to neglect, then to situations where Lambo was cast off like trash by his father and his subordinates alike.**

 **However, they underestimated Lambo's intelligence. If he was a pushover, then Lambo would've already been dead before he could walk. So if they were going to act like that, then fine, Lambo was going to do whatever he liked since no matter what he does, it wouldn't garner any positive results. He'll be the spoiled little brat that they despise so much, partly to annoy them as a payback and partly because he refused to live the life of someone who was so easily bullied.**

 **With a tired huff, Lambo pushed himself up and stepped out onto the street. The world, from his point of view, was filled with giants all of whom offered on assistance.**

 **"T-Tol... ler... rate..." His lips quivered but he refrained from tearing up. Repeatedly mumbled the word under his breath calmed his emotions down, and it was becoming a habit whenever he was feeling hurt.**

 **He had to rely on himself to find his way back to the mansion - it wasn't a home, a home was warm and welcoming while the Bovino mansion was not.**

 **It was that day he met another child that seemed to be like him, but different at the same time. He didn't know what the kid with the fedora was doing in a bar, but Lambo felt a sense of comradeship with him. So, with his chest puffed out proudly, he strode towards the child and strike up a conversation.**

 **Maybe, Lambo hoped, he won't be ignored and despised.**

.

.

.

"Promise?" Lambo stared at Tsuna with big, innocent green eyes, but when the brunet looked closely, he noticed the fear of abandonment haunting within them.

"..." Tsuna side-glanced Ienari and Reborn before returning back. "Ienari's your family, of course you won't be left out."

"But... but what about Tsuna-nii?" Lambo's rebut caused the brunet to freeze in his steps towards the living room while Nana had returned to prepare dinner - now with renewed energy.

"Lambo," Tsuna finally responded after the long pause, smiling yet not. "I'll always be a part of the family no matter where I am."

Ienari was startled, since he was quietly listening to the short exchange between Tsuna and Lambo, but he didn't understand the dread he felt when he heard Tsuna's response.

Reborn, on the other hand, gave Tsuna a light bop on the head. Said brunet rolled his eyes at the hitman and ignored the latter entirely when Fuuta and I-pin finally came forth from where they were hiding.

* * *

Tsuna had been seeing on the bend of the porch, stargazing, when another person joined him. The two of them didn't exchange a word for several minutes before Tsuna finally spoke.

"What's on your mind Ienari?"

The blonde glanced at his brother who seemed to still be in thought for a brief moment and for a split second, he didn't see _Tsuna_ but a man ten years older. He blinked, and the illusion disappeared. Deciding he was imagining things, he switched his gaze to the two trees that was planted in their yard, most of their light source coming from the porch light and the windows of their house.

"... a lot of things." Ienari finally answered, leaning forward his his elbows propped on his laps.

Tsuna chuckled, giving his younger twin a quick glance. "You're going to have to be more specific."

"Well, you were _shot_."

The answer was blunt, Ienari knew, but how else was he supposed to phrase it?

"Well, I guess I understand your sentiment, " Tsuna said somewhat slowly, scratching his cheek. "But I'm okay now, aren't I?"

Ienari didn't respond to that, instead, he continued in a deadpan. "And you seem to get along with Reborn really well."

"Eh -"Tsuna did a double take and smiled nervously. "What brought this one, Ienari?"

"I just..." The blonde sighed, but didn't look in Tsuna's direction. "I just wish I could be like you. You're just so... calm about everything and - and you can crack jokes with Reborn so naturally... he doesn't even hit you for it too. Is it because you're not like us?"

"..."

Ienari had been surprised when a hand was suddenly placed on his head. He finally turned his head towards the older twin and he saw gentle sunset-orange eyes filled with warmth and acceptance. Like the Sky that Ienari was supposed to be but will never reach completely.

"Don't beat yourself over it," The brunet advised. "Everyone's a little different."

"We're _twins_."

" _Fraternal_ twins, Ienari." Tsuna's gaze was deep, too deep that Ienari could've gotten lost in them if the brunet didn't avert his gaze back up to the sky. "You're still young Ienari."

"... we're the _same age_." Ienari rebutted once again but still haven't moved away from Tsuna's hand because it was warm and gentle unlike their father's.

"..." Tsuna didn't deign the comment a respond. Instead, he removed his hand away from Ienari's head and continued. "Ienari, just continue being who you are. Sooner or later, you'll be able to find stable grounds and you're going to be a great person someday."

Ienari frowned. "Tsuna, let's say you and I are in the mafia -"

"Your game?"

"No, the _real_ one," - _but they're practically the same thing,_ Ienari felt strange to speak of the reality that they were in but not-in at the same time. "Just... just pretend you're in the real mafia."

Tsuna's lips curved up in mirth for a moment before relaxing. "Go on..."

"Shouldn't there be an unspoken rule that applies when a famiglia is to select the next heir but they had to choose between twins?"

"Mm..." Tsuna agreed absentmindedly. "Usually, it's the older one."

"Then in our case, you, the older twin, have been AWOL so I have been selected as heir. But then you came back as if nothing happened at all. In that situation, wouldn't _you_ have the right to the spot of the named heir...?"

"Ienari," Tsuna returned the blonde's question with a stern gaze befitting of an older brother admonishing his younger sibling when they did something wrong. "Assuming that we really are involved with the mafia, that title was originally yours and you have been preparing for it. I'm not going to take it away from you just because I managed to slip from Death's door."

"But you'll be way better at it," The younger twin mumbled but hadn't expect himself to be heard.

"You'll be _great_ at it." Tsuna countered. "Maybe not now, but in the future. Like people say, 'Rome wasn't built in a day'. I trust that you will _learn,_ Ienari."

"I _have_ been learning," The blonde sallied almost frustratingly. "But I _just can't seem to get it!_ There's Family and then there's family, how am I supposed to manage a balance in between them?"

"Ienari..." Tsuna frowned somewhat in confusion. "What the heck are you talking about now? Aren't those two the same thing?"

"Eh...?" Ienari blinked, wondering what his brother was trying to allude to. "No no, I'm talking about _Family_ and _family_!"

That earned him a flick on the head. "Dummy, that's where the problem lies."

"What...?"

Tsuna shook his head helplessly. "As far as I can tell, there's really no distinct between the two." He stood up, stretching his body for a moment before giving his brother one last pat on the head. "I'm going back to my room. I need to do the homework I missed yesterday."

Ienari was still mulling over his brother's words that he was startled when Tsuna spoke again.

"Remember this Ienari: you have friends whom you can rely on. Kaa-san and I are also here if you need help." Tsuna paused, his hand holding the door open. His sunset-orange eyes glowed and Ienari couldn't see Tsuna again. "You have to accept all the people around you, Ienari, and value each and every person. A life is a life no matter how insignificant they may seem."

...

 ** _Creak... click._**

The door close after Tsuna went inside and Ienari was left to wonder if Tsuna was trying to give him some sort of advice.

"You should be feeling quite lucky because he's going to be your adviser and second-in-command some day."

"WHAT THE-" Ienari jumped off of the bend when Reborn literally dropped in from the sky. "Don't do that Reborn!"

"You're a hundred years too early to be telling me what to and not to do."

Ienari groaned but then the gravity of the hitman's previous words weighted down on him. "What do you _mean_ Tsuna's going to be my adviser? You're still trying to rope him in?!"

"What are you talking about?" Reborn gave his student a look of obviousness. "He's already in."

"..." When Ienari thought about it, there was some truth in his tutor's words. Tsuna had already been involved the moment he met Reborn - or rather, the moment he was born with Vongola blood in his veins. The blonde sighed in defeat and sat back down.

"... why can't Onii be the Decimo?" He complained. "I'm sure he would be better at it than -"

 ** _Whack!_**

\- "Ow!"

Reborn put Leon-hammer down after killing some of Ienari's brain cells. "Finally admitted that you have faults that you can't seem to fix?"

"..." Ienari's silence was more than enough of an answer for the hitman.

"At least you're going somewhere now. You can't fix a fault unless you acknowledge that you have one."

"..."

"Besides, I have already started training you for _two years_." Reborn continued. "I'll be damned if I have to start from scratch again."

"Reborn..." Ienari was moved at his words... though it was dosed with cold water by Reborn's words in the next second.

"What are you looking at me for? You still have a few hundred homework exercises that you haven't done and I have plenty of grenades left unused."

The way how Reborn sounded so _gleeful_ made Ienari cry on the inside. Why exactly did he have to have the infant as a home tutor?

* * *

 **Family and family bonding and fluff! Ienari's awkward and shy isn't he? (But I find that cute :D)**

 **A bit of a typical kidnapping and torture so there's nothing interesting about that... maybe. I don't know, I'm not too creative with these things. :P But hey, at least we finally have the reason for Ienari's memory lapse. (Whether it was Tsuna's or Ienari's doing though... it's up to interpretation.)**

 **Also, I'm not sure if bullet wounds to the heart can be saved or not but uh... as long as it's given immediate treatment right? Right! (Plus, they have Flames - though using real illusions to replace internal organs is a really huge cheat against Death.)**

 **Okay, so, I can't think of much for Lambo's problem since he's - he's a kid! And - uh... I don't know if it was appropriate to insert a flashback in there or not but I did it anyways but Lambo was the only one left that I haven't done because I didn't know how so yeah...**

 **I'm not sure if I'm satisfy with this chapter... but oh well.**

 **** I took the _Onii_ from _Onii-san_ and made a pun of it to Oni (which, if you didn't know already, is a yōkai from the Japanese folklore that is depicted to have an ogre-like appearance most of the time), though I'm not sure of Oni and _Onii_ has similar pronunciations but they're pretty close in spelling so yeah.**

 **Thanks to** _WildRosa13474, vampireharry the 2, Guest(3), Kitani, Woezy, Yuki, Revantio Van Cario, Neko Nishiriu, Otaku1727, yukihime, hyraM, Guest97, Guest(2), theselfproclaimedgreatest7, xoxo, Lalalu, I-AM-A-SUPER-SADIST, Seablue eyes 9311, Guest(1), JustSome01 , niniku, Bell2629, thor94, PhantomCielo27, Moonpuzzle, Undertheskys, Herushiru, angelaneahwalker, D C JoKeR H S, StarlitBaby, akachan23, naturefire, Sora Rider X, wildcat1144, doremishine itsuko, MayaHikari, Chew Chew, setsuna koori, Knight Yuuki, Owlstar7, Little Ms. Pumpkin, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	29. Birds of a Feather

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

"Tsunayoshi."

Said boy paused in writing an essay that was due in a few hours, head turning around to the source of the voice. He watched in fascination as a small orange flame coalesced itself in the middle of his room, then growing until it was the size of an adult human.

The flames dispersed away, leaving behind a familiar transparent figure don in a three-piece black pinstriped suit and cape.

"Dad... no..." Tsuna frowned, idly noting that the pocket watch he always kept on his person was resonating with the new presence because their flame signature were _similar_. Although parallel selves were identical, there were disparages - some large, some small - that made them difference from each other. "Vongola Primo...?"

The Founder smiled warmly towards Tsuna. "He and I are essentially the same so call me however you feel comfortable. Besides, whether you are of the current or the past Tsunayoshi, you are still my descendant by blood, there's no need for the formalities."

Tsuna blinked owlishly before laughing and grinning. "You and Dad are really similar in this world."

"Are we?" Vongola Primo chuckled and shook his head lightly at the same time. "I have only been given my parallel self's memories through the crossing so that might have indirectly brought about some effect in the similarities."

"Dad worries too much," Tsuna pouted, not at all surprised at the news. "To think he would actually share his memories with his parallel self so that you can help me..."

Giotto's lips quirked in an amused smile. "A parent will always be worried about their child, Tsunayoshi."

"... Tsuna," The brunet corrected, then elaborated at the questioning glance he was given. "No formalities, right?"

"Right," Primo nodded in agreement, his expression all the brighter. "I seem to recall you have met G?"

"Oh yeah, he's as agreeable as the one I know." Tsuna answered blandly, thinking back to the morning he was trying to give Gokudera a hint of what he was doing wrong.

 **"You're G." Tsuna remarked lamely at the ghost-like apparatus that floated towards him from the direction of his house.**

 **"Well, no sh** sherlock."**

"... That was our conversation starter." Tsuna recalled helpfully to his ancestor, who was restraining himself from face-palming.

"... Lovely."

"Right?" Tsuna agreed. "But I was really surprised when he told me how you guys received memories from your parallel selves."

"It was..." Giotto flourished a hand. "Probably the most notable events that happened to us in the near two centuries that our Wills had been carved into the Vongola Rings. My guardians and I were quite curious about you but we never found the right moment to appear without unnecessary commotion." He paused before adding, "We do know that your Sky flames are comparable to mine for the Vongola Rings to react like it had done."

"... _Why_ did it do that? It wasn't one of you guys' bright ideas right?"

"No," Giotto rolled his eyes at Tsuna's joke. "We may have the ability to unseal the Rings but we are still only Wills trapped within. The Vongola Rings are an entirely different set of entities of their own; hence, there are two possible methods of selecting the Rings' inheritors. One is for us to name our true successors, or two, the Rings will recognize their next holders themselves if the two parties are to ever cross paths while the Rings remain ownerless. Just like how the Mare Rings choose theirs."

Tsuna frowned. "But I shouldn't be - I _can't_ be the holder." His hand went to clasp the pocket watch under his shirt. "I know for a fact that my... _Time_ doesn't belong to this world to begin with so it's impossible..."

"That is correct," The Founder confirmed. "But there's a reason why the Rings resonated with your flames that time."

"... what is it?"

Giotto shook his head, not granting Tsuna a response. "In due time Tsuna."

"... fine, but you don't have to be so mysterious about it. A straight up 'I can't tell you' would do." The brunet sighed exasperatedly, slumping against his chair and hanging his head over the spine so that he was viewing Primo upside down. "So... what's the reason for your appearance tonight?"

Primo's lips curved up again, noting that Tsuna had taken his suggestion to heart by completely relaxing in his presence. He may look and act improper, but it proved that Tsuna'd already viewed Giotto the same way he had viewed his parallel self.

"You really are just a child at heart." Giotto mused.

" _Daaaad!_ "

.

.

.

Both of them blinked, sunset-orange orbs clashing against each other. Tsuna decided to throw his hands up in defeat and grumbled. "Whatever, Dad. You said I can call you however I feel comfortable so there!"

Giotto only laughed as a response.

"It's not _that_ funny!" Tsuna glared at the ghost apparatus. "Are you here just to laugh at me?!"

"Of course not, Tsuna - but I must to say, your actions were really careless this time."

" _Dad!_ "

"Alright, alright," The Founder chuckled but coughed in his fist as a way of regaining his composure. "I won't nag any further."

The brunet grumbled indignantly and then lazily gestured for his ancestor to continue, but when Giotto's expression turned solemn, Tsuna couldn't help but straighten up and give an attentive ear.

"As you know, the Trinisette represent the Laws that govern the universe." Giotto started. "We, as holders of a part of those Laws, will be able to vaguely sense the constant presence of those Laws around us. As such, even if my guardians and I are only Wills carved into the Vongola Rings, we are still able to pick up the slight disturbances in the Trinisette."

"..." Tsuna's eyes slowly widened in realization. "You mean..."

Giotto nodded solemnly. "The Laws are becoming unstable, Tsuna. Someone outside of the Trinisette's chosen holders is tampering with it."

Tsuna entered a pondering phase. Something similar to what his ancestor told him had happened in his world. Being a holder (or a former one) himself, he and his guardians, his fellow Skies and their Elements, had detected the wavering disturbances in the air of their world. However, they couldn't find the cause even when they tried flipping over every single object they come across so they could only wait anxiously until the day the problem revealed itself.

... Who would've foreseen Tsuna and his family falling before that happened? (The brunet wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a blessing in disguise or not because he _technically_ had avoided taking responsibility for his world's dilemma.)

"... The Simons," Tsuna mumbled, thoughts forming in his head and connecting together like dots. He remembered Enma telling him that the Elements of the Earth were the shadows of the Elements of the Sky; however, their roles were no less important than the main sets of the Trinisette. The Simon Rings acts as the counterbalance for Trinisette's powers. The Simon Rings had governance in space while the Trinisette solely focuses on time. There needed to be the existence of time for space to start expanding but the vice versa could also be true. Time cannot start when there is no space for it to exist in.

Hence, the Simon Rings can be considered as the sub-part of the Trinisette, which meant Enma and his guardians were aware of the presence of the Laws as well.

"Dad, the Simons, do you know how they are in this world?" The Simon Rings were the most compatible with the Vongola Rings - like brothers actually - so at one point, Tsuna and Enma had been able to tell each other's location through their rings.

"That's the other problem," Giotto replied, face morphed into concern. "The Simon Rings were supposed to be sealed away until the time they are needed again and well... the Earth Ring is unsealed as of now..."

"What?!" Tsuna exclaimed in alarmed but them lowered his voice when he realized it was in the middle of the night and the house was asleep hours ago. "But... but the Simon Rings need Sin for that! Don't tell me they somehow broke into Vongola's safe - not that I would be too surprised by that since I could hack into their database by accident - and stole Cozarto's blood?! And why only the Earth Ring?!"

Giotto let out a strained laugh, forgoing his image as a mafia don as of now. "About that... you might find a surprise waiting for you tomorrow."

"Eh?"

"That's all the information you need to know right now," The Founder concluded with a knowing smile.

* * *

"See you later Tsuna-nii!"

"Bye bye!"

"Gyahaha, Lambo-san is going!"

"Yeah, see you guys," Tsuna waved them off on his send off of the three kids to their elementary school. He hadn't walked them to school in a while and when the three kids brought it up this very morning (almost begging him), Tsuna couldn't refuse.

His shoulders sagged afterwards and he dragged himself to towards school. The conversation with Vongola's Founder was still fresh in his mind, particularly the one after the main issue was addressed.

 **"Wait!" Just before Giotto willed himself to return to the Vongola Sky Ring, Tsuna stopped him. "One more question."**

 **"Go on."**

 **"If... if I'm not your successor of this world..."**

 **Giotto blinked and smiled ruefully. "The Laws work in strange ways, Tsuna. There may be infinitely many parallel worlds out there, each with their differences that makes them different from the other. Nonetheless, there are somethings that cannot be changed throughout."**

 **"... oh."**

 **"Keepers and Holders have their separate roles, I cannot force what is not meant to be even if our blood sings true." The Founder shook his head, flames starting to engulf his person.**

 **"However, if you, of another vertical-time axis, the heir and only inheritor of my Will, can bring about a miracle... then you, alone, shall decide the path the next generation will take. Should Vongola prosper or perish, it will be up to you..."His voice echo'ed as Sky flames grew large, then diminish into nothing. "... Sawada Tsunayoshi."**

Tsuna sighed, massaging his temple, and settled for crying on the inside. "... And I thought I dodged those responsibilities already."

 ** _Swoosh!_**

Tsuna sighed as he, once again, reflexively caught the flying tonfa that came attacking him the moment he stepped onto school grounds. "A 'good morning' would suffice, Hibari-san."

The demon Prefect didn't reply to Tsuna's comment as he caught the metal stick that the other tossed back. Even though he was silent, Tsuna understood what Hibari was trying to do.

He muttered something about worrywarts and how indirect they were replying out loud. "I'm fine Hibari-san - wait -" Tsuna only just now realized what the Skylark was trying to do. Ironically, it was also something that Kyouya took as a challenge back then when Reborn had dared the guardians to _try_ to throw Tsuna's fully awakened Hyper Intuition for a loop for a set period of time. (Of course, the little game ended as a failure because _nothing_ got past the Hyper Intuition that rivaled Vongola Primo's back in the days) "- Nice try Hibari-san, but you can't lure me into agreeing to a fight!"

Disappointment flashed across the Skylark's face before it morphed back into indifference. He then reminded Tsuna of their deal that was made recently.

"Ugh," The brunet rolled his eyes towards the sky. "You're always the battle maniac - of course I wouldn't forget that I agreed to spar with you every other day! But -" Tsuna had to block when Hibari suddenly attacked "-Not _now_ Hibari-san! Didn't I also say that it has to be somewhere where people can't see us?!"

He sidestepped and bopped the demon Prefect on the head for good measures. "You need to learn how to control yourself, Hibari-san. Always charging head first doesn't help."

"I'm no herbivore." Hibari retorted, his face twisted in disdain. "Fight me."

And the Skylark finally decided to voice his impatience. Tsuna found himself missing the Hibari that learned to patiently waits for his prey to come to him (on good days.)

" _No_." Tsuna glared and if there had been other students around, they would have been scared to death because _there was someone_ brave _enough to glare at Hiabri Kyouya._ "Not now anyways. Can't you see you're making me late for class?"

Hibari frowned but tucked away his tonfas. "After school then."

"... Have you thought of what I said before?" Tsuna said after the Skylark. "About giving Ienari another chance?"

Hibari paused and shot an annoyed glance over his shoulder. "This again." He turned back and continued walking to another part of the school - probably hunting for latecomers. "He has to prove his worth in a fight."

Tsuna blinked at the glance that Hibari cast him before chuckling with a shake of his head. (He idly noted that Hibari didn't give him a hard time even though he was now late for class - the bell had rung just a few minutes ago, when they had still been talking.)

.

.

.

"Sorry I'm -" When Tsuna had opened the door to class 1-A, he did _not_ expect to see the familiar red hair of one Kozato Enma. "- late...?"

 **The Simon Decimo blinked and wondered if his best friend has finally lost it because one Vongola Decimo was currently banging his head against the desk.**

 **"Um..." Enma wasn't sure if he should interrupt Tsuna's... whatever he was trying to do. "Did I visit on the wrong time?"**

 **"... Enma!" Tsuna promptly stopped trying to lose more brain cells and practically _flew_ towards the other as if the latter was the former's saving grace.**

 **Now, Enma may not have Vonogla's Hyper Intuition but he has a bad feeling about this.**

 **"Thank _god_ for someone sane!" Tsuna took Enma by the hand and -**

 _Click._

 **\- handcuffed both his right and the Simo Decimo's left hand together.**

 **"... Eh?" Enma has a _really_ bad feeling about this.**

 **"You're my best friend, right?" Tsuna grinned but there was something... strange about the way Tsuna just _sparkled_ \- that was usually not a good sign. "So if I going to hell, then you're coming with me!"**

 **"What?!"**

 **"Onward!" Tsuna pointed out of his office dramatically and dragged poor Enma along towards where all the chaos of explosions, screaming, animal cries, and strange weather patterns were happening. How did he even miss those neon signs of danger anyways? "We're going into dangerous territory!"**

 **"No nonono...!" Enma realized what was in store for them... but he still very much want to keep his sanity even if Tsuna was about to give up his in order to deal with his sugar-high guardians whose Vongola gears had just been modified by Giovanni. "Dammit Tsuna! If you're going down, don't bring me along!"**

 **"No way! Best friends stick together through thick and thin!"**

 **"I hereby officially declare us no longer best friends from this moment on!"**

 **"Then birds of a feather flock together!" was the other's immediate reply.**

 **" _Tsuna!_ "**

Sunset-orange eyes locked with red - compass pupils being its distinct features - and somehow, both of them _knew_.

 ** _"You might find a surprise waiting for you tomorrow."_**

... At least he now understood what Primo meant by that.

The brunet stared owlishly (though it carried an underlying pleasant surprise), at a lost of what to say - _But - how...?_ \- and Enma only smiled sheepishly back, scratching the back of his head - _Long story_.

"Tsunayoshi," The teacher, the one who had replaced Dohachiro Nezu, interrupted what seemed to be a silent communication between two long lost best friends. "You're late."

Said teen blinked, confused as to why the man had stated the obvious. "Well, yes, I am."

"But... Hibari-san..."

Oh... Tsuna realized that even though he was late, he hadn't been bitten to death by the demon prefect. In fact, he looked perfectly health without tonfa-marks anywhere on his person. He could only laughed sheepishly and mimicked Enma's earlier movements. "Yeah... I guess I got lucky?"

"What?!" The class exploded at his words.

"I can't believe -"

"- was Hibari sick or something -"

"- How did _Dame-Tsuna_ be so lucky -"

"- call Tsuna-san that one more time and I'll blow you up -"

"- maa maa, I'm sure he didn't mean it, right? Because that wouldn't be good -"

"... for once, I'm not going to stop you two."

"Settle down, everyone!" The teacher exclaimed then gestured to Tsuna's seat exasperatedly. "Please, Tsunayoshi, just - just go seat down."

"Hehe, sorry Sensei." Tsuna dipped his head as he went and was mindful of the silent laughter in Enma's eyes - which he shot back with a glare.

After that little commotion, Enma introduced himself, looking as timid as ever - though Tsuna saw the difference in stance from when he had met his best friend for the first time. Well, for one, he was louder so he didn't have to repeat himself.

... he was still called Loser-Enma though - because, apparently, according to his judgmental classmates, Enma looked like a loser. He has no idea what was going through his classmates' heads, but they were definitely narrow-minded folks.

"Take the seat in front of Tsunayoshi," The teacher helpfully pointed out. "It's the boy who came late just now."

Enma nodded obediently and walked towards the brunet. Both of them saw the foot that stretched out into the aisles, obviously in an attempt to trip Enma, but Enma only gave a shrug and decided to let their classmates have their entertainment.

"Ah!"

The class promptly burst out laughing when Enma tripped.

Tsuna make a face. _Really?_

 _Well... brings back memories, doesn't it?_ Enma discretely smirked back before standing up and successfully making his way to his desk without anymore mishaps.

Thus began another boring lecture in which now both Tsuna _and_ Enma found hard paying attention to because they already knew the materials like the back of their hands.

.

.

.

The moment the bell rang, Tsuna stood up and bonked Enma on the head. The action startled Ienari and his friends while their classmates thought there was going to be something good to watch.

"Hey..." The other complained good-naturedly, rubbing his head. "What was that for?"

"You got a lot of explaining to do." The brunet scolded.

"Well, so do you." Enma retorted almost lazily. He cast a glance at Yamamoto and Gokudera, then tossed a look back at Tsuna. _They're not like us, are they?_

Tsuna rolled his eyes and did he introductions as an answer. "Guys, this is Kozato Enma. He and I met... two weeks after I came back out of the coma."

Enma's brows shot up but Tsuna waved him off with a 'later.'

"Enma, this is Yamamoto Takeshi, Gokudera Hayato, and... " Tsuna placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and grinned. "Sawada Ienari, my younger twin brother!"

"You - what?" Enma stared blankly and looked back and forth between the two. He then pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath before accepting everything that he was told because that was just life. (He learned the accept things easily when Vongola's nonsense was involved - not that his family was any better.) "Fraternal?"

"Obviously." Tsuna chuckled.

"I hate how you always drop bombs like this," Enma mumbled, making a face. "Did you pick that from your dad?"

"Eh... sorta." Only the two of them knew which father figure they were talking about.

Ienari looked back and forth between Enma and his brother, somewhat baffled. "Tsuna, if he's your friend, then how come we never see him before? And he just transferred to our school too..."

"Ah, that would be..." Tsuna started slowly, casting a glance at Enma, who, upon signal, helped the brunet come up with an excuse.

"I was actually just vising last time," Enma explained with a laugh. "I knew that I was going to move to Namimori later so... I just wanted to take a look. I didn't expect to run into Tsuna. We have a lot of things in common so we hit it off like two peas in a pod!"

"Tsuna-kun, Nari-kun!" Kyoko entered into the conversation with a bright smile.

"K-Kyoko... hi!" Ienari stammered and Tsuna saw his brother's cheeks heat up. He silently snickered. For the so-called always so cool athletic start to act like this in front of the school idol, that was something. Though the brunet couldn't blame his brother, he had been even more of a bumbling buffoon when he had a crush against said school idol. He had gotten over it though, seeing as more of a puppy-love than anything else.

"Sasagawa-san, Muira-san, Kurokawa-san, Dokuro-san!" Tsuna greeted, smiling politely towards the four girls. "What brings you girls here?"

Kurokawa scoffed. "What, we can't even talk to you monkeys now?"

"No no," Tsuna chuckled. "That's not what I meant."

"Nari-kun!" Muira got close to the blonde, eyes sparkling with hearts. "Do you want to eat lunch together? We haven't done that for so long!"

"Tch," Gokudera scowled in disdain and tried to pull the brunette off of an uncomfortable Ienari. "Get away from Juudaime you crazy woman!"

"Hahi! Who are you calling crazy?!"

Kyoko giggled at their antics before turning towards Tsuna. "I was wondering if you guys want to have lunch on the roof together. Like Haru-chan said, we haven't hang out with each other for a while now. Kozato-kun can join us too! We can all get to know him this way!"

"We're glad to," Tsuna elbowed Ienari forward, causing the latter the yelp in surprise. "Don't just stand there, let's go!"

The group chatted along the way to the roof, with Tsuna and Enma falling a few feet behind so that they can have their own conversation.

"Tsuna, coma?" Enma finally asked, brows creased in concern. He didn't expect his best friend to have encountered something as serious as that. _Did something happen?_

"It's not what you think," The brunet assured. "When I came to, I was already in the hospital. Apparently, my parallel self fell into a coma for about seven years before I came along."

" _Seven?!_ "

"I _know_."

" _Seven!_ "

Tsuna rolled his eyes and shook his head at the same time, then snapped his fingers in front of his best friend. "Stay with me Enma."

"Oh -" The redhead stopped gaping. "- Right, sorry."

"So, what's your situation like? How did you get here?"

Enma used several long seconds to organize his thoughts before giving an explanation. "As you know, I died before you - Tsuna, don't give me that look." The former Simon Decimo scolded the Tsuna when the other had a look a guilt. "We just didn't expect it alright?"

"I know... but..." But it still didn't stop Tsuna from grimacing at the memory.

Enma huffed exasperatedly and crossed his arms. He redirected the topic back before Tsuna could mope more about it. "Byakuran of our world - when he was still alive - was the one who send me here, but due to technical difficulties, I arrived later than you."

"... doesn't that mean your parallel self..." Tsuna pried hesitantly. He felt a weight on his shoulder but ignored it for now.

"Yeah..." Enma chuckled mirthlessly, tucking his hands into his pant pockets. And just like that, Enma seemed _older_ and more tired. "I guess my death came later than yours in this world, Tsuna - And hello, Reborn, I guess Tsuna told you the truth?"

The hitman was startled for a moment when Enma just seemed to take it in strides when he suddenly appeared atop Tsuna's head. However, he nodded in response nonetheless. "You are... from the Simon Famiglia?"

He had heard of them before - or read about the Family from Vongola's archive. They have been allies since Vongola Primo's time but Reborn has never seen a member from the Simon Famiglia until now. He was also intrigued of the fact the Simons used a set of flames that were entirely separate of that of the Sky's, known was the Flames of the Earth. Unfortunately, there was too little information written down so Reborn's knowledge was limited in that area - much to his displeasure.

"Un. The Simons has and will always be an ally of the Vongolas." Enma earnestly stated where he stand to avoid any suspicion that may arise.

"Speaking of which," Tsuna creased his brows. "Where are your guardians? Even if they're not the same ones, why aren't they with you?"

Enma halted all of a sudden, frozen in his tracks with a wide range of emotions flitting across his face.

"... Enma?" Tsuna called out tentatively. He knew that something was wrong just by looking at how the redhead was now clenching his fist tightly. His Intuition had also spiked, telling him that he wasn't going to like what he will learn in this conversation.

"... L-let's save that for later, yeah?" Enma forced a smile. Tsuna couldn't help but notice the unshed tears at the corner of his friend's eyes. "It's... it's a long story and- and - "

"... It's alright," Tsuna squeeze the other's shoulder, showing Enma that he was there if his best fiend ever needed anything. "Why don't we catch up to my brother and his friends?"

Enma was glad for the change in topic, but found Tsuna's wording to be queer. "You speak as though you and _them_ are just that."

"Because they _are_." Tsuna shot back with a shake of his head. "I may consider them as friends but they're not the _same_. Not like you Enma."

"Oi," Reborn tugged on Tsuna's hair. "Did you forget about my presence, Dame-Tsuna?"

The brunet sighed. "Of course not Reborn. But like I said before, you're not the same either - will you stop pulling on my hair? It hurts!"

The hitman scoffed but complied with his request. Enma chuckled at the scene, feeling a sense of familiarity with the situation.

"Some things never changed."

"Hey, I heard that!"

* * *

 ** _[_ _PLEASE READ!_ _]_ There WON'T going to be updates for the next** TWO WEEKS **because it's closing into my exam time (I don't think I need to expand anymore on that :P). Anyhow, this already caught up with the updated one on wattpad so what a coincidence!**

 **So... Enma (** **Tsuna's partner-in-crime - at least, in my opinion)** **is officially here! :D And a bit more into what Tsuna's going to deal with in the future.**

 **Also, if you any of you do find any mistakes, I welcome you to point it out! (Thanks to** _NAO-chan33_ **for correcting the Japanese vocab in the previous chapter(I ain't familiar with the language though I wish haha...))**

 **Thanks to** _Nella Moonblood Royalle, Guest, reader, ShotaroxPhillip, TheSilverHunt3r, Yuki, Undertheskys, wildcat1144, The Whimsical Ermine, thor94, Lunapok, WildRosa13474, vampireharry the 2, Chew Chew, JustSome01, Shiroshi.2, sousie, Dark Elpis, Sora Rider X, D C JoKeR H S, NAO-chan33, Kiri Kaitou Clover, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading and see you all in two weeks' time! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	30. Enma's Findings

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

When Tsuna was abruptly dragged out of class by the collar after school like a potato sack, he made sure Enma went down with him. (Like always.)

"O-Onii?" Ienari called out, somewhat at a lost for words because _Hibari Kyouya_ was abducting his brother - and consequently, Enma - in broad daylight.

"Haha..." The brunette bothered to struggle a bit even though it was futile. "Don't worry, Ienari, we'll be fine!"

Ienari wondered if there was something wrong with his brother. How could he _fine_ when the demon Prefect was involved? And he had even pulled Enma along as well - the latter looked as if he was _used_ to getting dragged into a mess, which the blonde couldn't _comprehend_.

Though... the redhead did make an attempt to complain.

"Tsuna, tell me again why I agreed to be your best friend?"

The last thing Ienari and his friends heard was Tsuna's light-hearted laughter and: "Birds of a feather flock together?"

"Ne, do you think Tsuna broke a rule or something?" Yamamoto decided to voice his curiosity. "Or is it because Hibari didn't bite him to death this morning?"

"Either way, this is already the second time the Skylark singled him out," Gokudera muttered, silently contemplating the possibilities.

"I just hope they'll be okay..." Ienari responded, brows furrowed in worry. "Maybe we should follow them?"

Gokudera and Yamamoto gave the blonde an odd look, causing the latter the blink and scooted away uncomfortably. "... why are you two staring at me like that?"

His Rain chuckled, amused. "I think this is the first time you actually dared to suggest following _Hibari_."

Gokudera nodded in agreement for once, though his head was held up high like the proud Right hand man he was. "Of course! Juudaime would dare to do anything!"

"..." Ienari just deadpanned at the two before turning away. "You know, let's not -"

 ** _Thwack!_**

\- Ienari was promptly given a kicked to the head was a way of greeting by yours truly. "Stop being a killjoy, Baka-Nari."

"Reborn..." The blonde groaned from the floor. He ignored the complaint that was bubbling up his throat, knowing that it would be a useless cause, and instead, went straight to the topic. "What do you _mean_ a killjoy? This is Hibari we're talking about! _He's_ the killjoy!"

Yamamoto whistled, impressed. "Nari's getting bolder these days! I wonder what Hibari would do if he hears you..."

" _Yamamoto_!" The blonde hissed but was only returned with a carefree laugh.

Reborn smirked. "Why don't we find out? Chrome, you're coming as well."

"Wha - Gah!" Ienari couldn't even insert his question before promptly being dragged by an infant out the door. The scene of a sport star being towed around by an infant was a sight to see for Ienari's classmates, though they only see it as the blonde going along with whatever game the kid was playing.

"Haha, Ienari, you even have time to play with kids?"

"Ienari-sama is _so_ nice!"

"Gokudera, Yamamoto, you guys too?"

"Wait, since when did Dokuro became a part of their group?"

Ienari could only sigh at his peers' false speculations, but it was better than them knowing the truth. Dear _god_ , he didn't even want to think of how his class would react if they knew about the mafia and how their lives were in constant danger because of him. He was jealous of their carefree lives, something he hadn't experienced since the time his father took him to Italy.

"Stop lamenting, Baka-Nari," Reborn said bluntly, breaking Ienari's thoughts. "A mafia boss does not have the time to idle around. If you have the time to slack, then you have the time to consider who your allies are and who your enemies are."

"Alright, alright," Ienari placated almost exasperatedly, now walking on his own with Reborn steering him and his guardians in what seemed to be the rooftop. "I get it. You don't have to keep repeating this and that about what a mafia boss should and shouldn't do."

"Not with that attitude of yours." Reborn retorted, shooting a side-glance at his student. They arrived at the entrance to the rooftop, where they could faintly hear the sounds of blows being exchanged, and saw two members of the Disciplinary Committee guarding it. Said two had stopped Ienari when they saw him.

"The Head said that no one is allowed on the rooftop right now." The one on the left informed.

"Well," Ienari piped cheerfully, turning around. "Guess that's that."

"What are you talking about?" Reborn riposted back sharply before giving the two guards a look. That same look send shivers down their backs. "We're just going to have a look, _yes?_ "

"W-well..." The same person stammered and was thankful that his partner bailed for him.

"Uh... we'll ask." The one of the right answered. However, just as he twisted open the doorknob -

 ** _Wham!_**

"Ah!"

\- A blurry figured flew in at that moment, causing the startle shout of the guy who opened the door.

"What the -?!" Enma's voice was filled with alarm when his feet was about to collide with not the surface of the door, but with one of the Disciplinary Committee members' face. He twisted in the air to re-route his flight to avoid knocking the other unconscious.

"Careful!"

 _ **Screee** -_ The soles of his shoes screeched across the platform as he warned loudly. He almost tipped off down the staircase if he hadn't quickly grabbed onto the railing, which, added with the momentum, swung himself right pass Ienari and his friends and -

"Sorry guys, no time to talk!"

\- back to the rooftop with punch reeled back and at the ready.

"Wha..." Ienari and his guardians stared owlishly. Enma had sudden came flying in and then back so quickly that they thought they might've imagined it. However, that was thrown out the window when Tsuna's head poked in.

"Oh, hi guys!" His greeting was light and cheerful as if everything was normal. "There's a reason you should _knock_ before opening the door."

The blonde stared at his brother as if he grew two heads.

Dokuro nodded at the brunet in greeting accepting Tsuna inviting hand gesture. She stopped abruptly staring blankly in surprise and confusion for a few long seconds before thinking nothing of it and stepping out.

"Haha," Yamamoto snapped out of it a bit quicker than the other two and followed after Dokuro. "What's going on here - whoa..." He came to an abrupt half in front of the entrance (the same spot Dokuro had took a pause at) with his back facing Ienari and Gokudera so the latter two couldn't seem his expression.

Gokudera scowled when the ravenet wasn't budging. "Oi, get out of the way! What's so - _what the f***?!_ " The bomber cursed abruptly and also came to a halt in the very same spot after shoving a dazed Yamamoto onto the open rooftop.

Seeing how similar his guardian's reactions seemed to be, Ienari became curious as well. And because he was about the same height as the silveret, Ienari could look over his shoulder to see -

 _._

 _._

 _._

 _Holy sh**!_

Ienari was doubting what he was seeing. He really was. Because the sight of Enma, who seemed as scrawny as his brother, fighting neck and neck with _Hibari Kyouya_ was something akin to a cow sprouting wings and flying and - and the fact that Enma was not _losing_ even one inch of ground against _Hibari Kyouya_ was not making it any better. It was as if there was no more common sense in the world.

Tsuna was inwardly chuckling to the side after seeing the others' reactions. It was a good thing his Intuition had warned him of something coming or else, Ienari and his guardians would have been gaping at _him_. The moment he detected the undisguised flame signatures of Reborn, Ienari and his guardians, he had already switched in with Enma. (He wouldn't know how to explain the fact he was able to fight so well only after two and a half months, let along _winning against Hibari Kyouya_ \- more than that, he didn't want to show what he was capable of just yet.)

He knew dragging Enma with him to fight Hibari was a good idea!

(Hibari hadn't exactly been happy... nor was Enma, but the latter had understood the reason better than the former so he went along, which happened to wipe the scorn displayed on Hibari's face because the redhead showed that he was just as capable as his companion.

But Kusakabe - poor, poor Kusakabe Testuya - was, again, mind-blown for obvious reasons and - _holy f***_ there's _another_ one!)

Tsuna felt a weight on his head and he smirked. "Nice try."

Reborn clicked his tongue, disappointed that his intentions has been seen through. "But you sacrificed your friend."

"You're going to introduce Enma to them anyways," Tsuna mumbled, lips curved into a frown to show that he didn't like the idea one bit. He knew that his friends will have to be involved but that didn't meant he would whole-heartedly accept it. Shoichi was one case, but Enma - Enma was on an entirely different level because he'll be thrown into the chaos _directly._ "So why not use this chance to throw everyone's doubt away? I know how mine and Enma's appearances can be misleading most of the time."

"Yeah, one a Dame, while the other is a Loser." Reborn retorted. "You two are quite the combo."

The brunet rolled his eyes good-naturedly at the jab, but then snickered. "And the _best_ part is that we can wipe the floor with our enemies because they think us as wimps when we're actually not."

Reborn refrained from chuckling because that wouldn't do. "Must be a blast toying with the mafia."

"Of course!" Tsuna chirped.

 ** _Piiing!_**

A tonfa was knocked into the air with a kick. It spun in an arc before embedding itself in front of Tsuna. The latter didn't bother with flinching and instead, picked up the steel weapon. "I think that's enough playing around, ne?"

Enma gave his best friend an accusing side-glance and a feeling of being wronged ( _Isn't it_ your _fault that I'm in this mess? And who said I'm playing?!)_ as he stopped his high kick from being brought down on the Skylark's shoulder, then huffed. He spun on his heel and distanced himself away from Hibari with a kick off, landing just beside Tsuna and straightening his uniform causally as if sparing Hibari was nothing out of the norm.

"I was fighting for _my life_ , Tsuna." The redhead scowled good-naturedly at the brunet. "That was not playing around!" _And I remember Hibari being far more difficult to deal with at that age._

"Eh... looks like it to me," Tsuna smiled. _This is a parallel world, you can't expect everything to be the same._

 _Of course_. Enma rolled his eyes. "So, what's next."

"Introductions." Reborn supplied and - **_Bang!_ ** \- fired off a warning shot to snap those who were in a daze from beginning to the end - who also happened to include Ryohei because, apparently, the boxer was informed by 'Master Pao Pao' that there was something extreme happening on the rooftop.

"W-w-what?!" Ienari stammered, pointing at the person beside Tsuna. "HOW?!"

" _F***._ " Was all Gokudera could offer.

"Haha... that was awesome!" Yamamoto applauded, and Dokuro joined along to express her appraisal without saying anything.

"EXTREME!" Words failed to express Ryohei's excitement so he was only left with one he knew would best describe his current thoughts.

"Vongola," Reborn gestured to Ienari and co., then to Enma. "Meet Kozato Enma..."

"Reborn, why are you -"

"... of the Simon Famiglia." Reborn finished slowly just for the heck of messing with people's heads.

.

.

.

" _WHAT?!_ " Ienari and Gokudera dropped their jaws at the revelation.

Enma scratched the back of his head - and all of them couldn't help but compare just how _similar_ he and Tsuna seemed to be - with an odd look a cross between helplessness and mirth. "Nice to meet you all."

"Eh," Tsuna decided to give his two cents' worth. "Enma's playing the mafia game too?"

The indignant ones - mainly Ienari and his Storm - sputtered. Enma blinked, sending a questioning look at his best friend.

 _Just play along_. Tsuna urged silently.

Enma couldn't help but shake his head with an amused smile. "Yeah, I guess so." He shot the brunet a smirk. "It's quite fun, so why don't you join us too?"

Tsuna discretely gave the stink-eye. _Enma, stop messing around._ "I do play, but only when I have the time."

 _And you can? Please._ The redhead snorted. "You have time now, don't you? Seeing as how you watched from the sidelines as I fend off Hibari-san for you."

He then gave the brunet a discreet look of grievance. "As far as I notice, you have no qualms of watching me struggle did you?" _Didn't you say'birds of a feather flock together?' You can't just abandon the flock like this when we're already on our way south! What happen to your sense comradeship?!_

 _Dammit Enma, we're no birds!_ Tsuna smiled with a twitch or two and laughed amicably (not really). "Okay, fine, I'll play along if it'll make you feel any better." _It's going to happen sooner or later anyways._

"Heh," The redhead smirked in victory of their little silent banter. "We got ourselves another gamer."

" _Onii!_ " Ienari shouted, looking absolutely scandalized. "Did you know what you have just agreed to - Reborn, what are you _doing_?!"

Reborn gave Ienari a look as if it should be _obvious_ while holding something akin to streamers - _live snake streamers_. "This is a cause for celebration, Vongola-style, what do you think?"

"What do I think? _I_ think it's -"

"... Ogre?" Enma shot another look at the brunet, completely ignoring the fact that the Sun Arcobaleno was preparing trouble to throw them into. He gave Tsuna swift look over and expressed his ever-expanding doubt. "Since when do you ever look like one?"

"That's not what he meant," Tsuna waved him off flippantly. "Ienari's an awkward kid." He paused before muttering under his breathe so only Enma could hear. "Worse than Chrome's case actually."

"... Ohhhh." Enma responded in realization and couldn't help but snicker. "It's going to cause a lot of misunderstandings... for those are familiar with Japanese anyways."

"I _know -_ I mean, I'm not even _that_ scary!"

"You can't deny that you _are_ sometimes." Enma sallied back. "When you snap."

"... I am a very patient individual." Tsuna defended with a pout.

Enma only shook his head helplessly. He couldn't argue Tsuna on that because Tsuna, was, indeed, extremely patient when it came to most things. Enma attributed that to having to deal with his set of bat-crazy set of guardians every single day of his past-future life.

... Then throw in the Varia, the former Arcobalenos, _Reborn_ (because the hitman deserved an entire category to himself), Byakuran and his guardians, and _Enma's_ own set of guardians into the mix and you get a Vongola Decimo who's the epitome of patience but also of hell on a whole other level if he ever snaps.

"Alright, that's enough of that," Reborn announced, re-routing the conversation back to the point that he was supposed to get at. "You may not know this but the Vongola archive stated that the alliance between Vongola and Simon can be traced back to the time of their Founders."

"Whoa." Yamamoto said in awe. "That's, what, two centuries ago?"

"Yup," Enma laughed. "Vongola Primo and Simon Primo were actually best friends."

"... How come I never heard about this when we were in Italy last time?" Ienari asked, completely thrown.

Reborn looked to Enma, prompting the latter to explain himself because he wasn't going to help him.

"That's because part of the pact made between Vongola Primo and my ancestor, Simon Cozarto - yes, I'm of the direct descent -" Enma answered the question that was written on their faces. "- is that the Vongolas be the light that attracted all eyes while Simons will be Vongola's shadow, aiding them in secret and never reveal themselves to the world."

"Why is that?" Ienari asked curiously.

"There was a... discrepancy at that time so the Simon Famiglia couldn't well reveal their existences, lest they face liquidation and... well, it just became like that till the present day." Enma revealed a thoughtful look aimed at the sky. "My Family has been in hiding for so long that not even the Vongolas were sure if we're still alive anymore."

"... I don't blame them." Enma returned his gaze towards the Tenth Generation of this world, but his words were more meant for the person who was, at the moment, very well wallowing in guilt next to him. "The pact was made to best keep both famiglias' ideals from being lost in the muddle of what's known as mafia at that time. If the Simons didn't go into hiding from then on, I don't think I would be standing where I am now."

"You sure know a lot," Yamamoto commented. "Is this written down in your Family's history?"

"You can say that," Enma chuckled, his hands tucked into his pant pockets. "That's besides the point though."

"Well," Reborn turned to face his student. "You heard him. Enma's arrival actually goes quite well along the plans I have in store for you all in the break between your second and third school term - which, if I may point out, is only a few days away ~"

.

.

.

"... I didn't agree to this." Enma remarked flatly that broke the silence, then turned to Tsuna. "Did you agree to this? I didn't agree to this."

Tsuna rolled his eyes. _Face it, this is Reborn._

"..." Enma couldn't argue with that.

* * *

Reborn knew that the Arcobalenos were part of the Trinisette, the Laws that governs time and space. Being the holder of the Sun pacifier (no matter how much he despised the curse that came with it), he was quite sensitive to the space-time flow and its laws.

Only the holders of the Trinisette were able to vaguely sense the Laws' presence, so it came as a surprise that Enma could too.

(Their group - minus Hibari because the Skylark had disappeared the moment Enma was reintroduce - dispersed after the short meeting, leaving only Enma, Tsuna, and Reborn (because the former Simon Decimo had asked him to) on the rooftop for discussion.)

He'd heard that apart from the three main sets of the Trinisette, there was a sub-set. Reborn hadn't thought much of it - or rather, he thought it was just a myth. He didn't think expect Enma and Tsuna to confirm that, yes, the supposed-nonexistence subset, the Simon Rings, does exist and Enma was the holder of one.

"I have..." Tsuna mumbled an answered. "Primo discussed it with me last night as well."

"You met Primo?" Enma voiced the question that Reborn had in mind.

"Mm," The brunet nodded back. "The First Generation's Wills are a part of the Vongola Rings, so they have sensed the disturbances in the Trinisette recently. I'm not sure _how_ I'm sensing them but it's probably something to do with me being a former holder."

Former holder, yeah right. Reborn silently scoffed at Tsuna's words. It has already been made obvious enough, what with the rings reacting to him and the fact Vongola Primo would only appear before his chosen successor, that Tsuna was the true holder of Vongola Sky Ring.

Or supposed to be.

He'd speculated that had Tsuna's parallel self, Tsunayoshi, been alive, he would _still_ have been recognized by the Founder and the Rings. However, there was no way to test it, so it remained as nothing but a speculation.

"He said that someone _outside_ of Trinisette's chosen holders are tempering with the Laws."

"... I can confirm that for you actually."

Both Reborn and Tsuna shot their gazes towards Enma in alarm. The latter was calm, calculative, nothing like the timid and easy-going kid from the school day and Reborn realized that he was now in the presence of one Simon Decimo and Vongola Decimo - not two high schoolers.

Reborn had to admit, they very well fit the description of what mafia bosses were supposed to be.

"In our world, my guardians and I were doing an investigation," Enma started, eyes compass-pupil eyes narrowed at nothing in particular. "By then, all of use should've already been aware that the Laws were unstable but none of use knew why."

"Investigation?" Tsuna repeated, a frown marred his face and sunset-orange eyes flashed a rare look of seriousness. "That time... you were looking into a rising Famiglia, weren't you? Are you telling me _they_ were the ones that -"

" _Tsuna_ ," Enma said sharply before the other's flames flared out of control. "It's alright."

" _Enma_ ," Tsuna shot back with just as much intensity and his eyes glowed an angry orange hue. He was a Sky after all, and which Sky wouldn't be angry when their Elements were targeted under their watch? "It's _not_ alright! What. Happened."

"... we were able to find some... shocking information," The redhead looked away, turning towards the fences that cages the rooftop. "But at the same time, we were discovered. We had to run, _hide,_ because we _couldn't_ handle them."

"They knew our weaknesses like the back of their hands - or rather," Enma tossed a glance over his shoulder, fury burned a matching rage to that of Tsuna's. " _He_ _knew_. He did us in, one by one. My guardians... they went before me because he knew they were my weakness, just as your guardians were yours."

Tsuna's fist clenched tightly by his sides. "I knew something was wrong, so I told everyone to send out search parties to look for you guy... but..."

Enma gave a curt nod. "By the time your party reached me, I was already beyond saving. You knew, but you still didn't give up any strands of hope."

"..."

"I may have been unconscious all the way until my last breath, but I could sense what was happening around me. The Vongola Alliance became embroiled in sudden a war, didn't it?" Without even waiting for the other's response, Enma continued. "It was all planned out. That... that man, he was looking for an opportunity to wage war." Hand had grabbed onto the thin fenced wires and with a - **_Crunch_ ** \- he bend and twisted that spot as a way to release his pent up emotions. "An ideal situation where everything is embroiled in chaos and no one would realize what happened until it happened, the culprit would then use the confusion to successfully slip away."

Enma looked back dead in the eye at the brunet. "Tsuna, it was ultimately meant for _you and your guardians_."

"... what?" Tsuna frowned, brows furrowed in incomprehension.

"The abrupt declaration of war" Enma explained. "It's purpose was to turn everyone into a muddle mess because no one _prepared_ for it. You guys were probably focused on the 'what just happened' part instead of actually aiming for a win. It was enough to give the opponent the chance to push you all into following his written script."

"I don't know the reason why the Vongola's was the main target but..." Enma sighed, turning to look over the town of Namimori. "With everything happening all at once... it was inevitable that we would fall. When I was on my last breath, Byakuran came to me. He told me that he'd a vague picture of what was going on behind the scene but it was too late to change anything, so he decided to send me to this world instead. He also told me that he planned do the same to you."

"... Byakuran died before me." Tsuna said grimly. "It was _Vongola Primo_ who send me here."

"It was most likely the Will of the Trinisette." Enma answered calmly. "Byakuran told me it wasn't just our parallel world that had suffered from the loss of their Trinisette holders and the numbers are slowly increasing as well. However, Byakuran suspected that the world we're currently in is most likely the source of the problem because it was from _this_ world that the Trinisette requested help. _Kawahira_ sent for help."

"Uncle Kawahira?" Tsuna widened his eyes in start. "But... I haven't seen him at all in my time here!"

"I don't know what he's doing either," Enma shrugged helplessly.

Reborn decided that this was probably the most suitable moment to interject himself. "Kawahira?" The name rang a bell for him but he couldn't exactly pinpoint _where_.

Enma and Tsuna exchanged a look before giving the Sun Arcobaleno a long stare. It annoyed him how the two knew something and he didn't, and was even more so when they looked at him like that. However, before he snapped out them, Tsuna offered a straightforward answer of -

"The Administrator of the Trinisette, or maybe you're more familiar with Checkerface?"

\- and Reborn threw a red Leon-hammer at him

"... Saw _that_ coming a mile away." Tsuna deadpanned as he stopped Leon in midair with his hands. The chameleon turned from an angry red to green after Tsuna dose the reptile with Sky flames.

" **What. The. _Hell_.** " Reborn - in one of the rare moments of his life - hissed. Hatred and anger and _overly pissed_ was what could describe how he felt at the moment. So the b*****d who turned them - turned _him_ into a baby all those years ago was the so-called watcher of the Trinisette? F*** this sh**.

If - _when_ he finds that b*****d, he's going to...

"Anyways," Enma diverted from the topic while sweating bullets because of the killing intent practically rolling off of Reborn in waves while making plans of torture. "The last thing I found out before I have to make a run for it that time is that our enemy somehow _knew_ the existence of parallel worlds."

"... that means he's here as well?" Enma nodded to confirm Tsuna's question.

"I..." The redhead sighed and directed his gaze away once more. "As you know, although I died before you, I arrived later than you - just recently actually. From what I could tell of my parallel self's memories, he died from falling off a cliff..."

Tsuna immediately found something off about that. It was definitely not an accidental death. "What's the reason behind it?"

"... The Simons - _or what was left of it_ ," Enma seethed, his face darken with a certain murderous intent. "were hunted down. My Family were running for their lives but at some point, I was the only one left. The other me decided that he wasn't going to die by his pursuer's hands so he took matters into his own hands when he couldn't keep running any longer."

Enma suddenly laughed hollowly. "And did you know, Tsuna? From the moment I saw of the other's memory, I knew something was wrong. Guess who's the f***ing culprit."

"... so it's the same person." Tsuna voiced softly but his shaking frame and the angry orange glow of his eyes were enough to tell what his current mood was.

Seeing Tsuna not even retraining his murderous intent anymore, Enma snapped out of his. He smiled helplessly and shook his head. "There's too many things we don't know about our opponent, Tsuna. It's useless to charge straight into the unknown."

"... Name?"

Enma blinked before tilting his head in thought. "The... The Tartaruga Famiglia, I think?"

"... that's not the one who we fought against," Tsuna muttered in thought.

"Well, that other one was only a puppet," Enma shrugged. "In our world, he was only pulling the strings behind the curtains."

"Alright," Tsuna decided with a nod and said with a straight face - if not a bit too eager. "We need a game plan and we're going to f***ing dye a b*****d turtle in red."

Enma chuckled, a grin stretching on his lips. "Count me in!"

"But first..." Tsuna send his best friend a look. "How are you holding up?"

The other blinked owlishly before smiling sheepishly, "I can't hide anything from your sharp Intuition." His back slide down against the fence, exhaustion taking over as he groaned softly. "Ugh... It would be nice if I have Sun flames. Earth flames can only do so much to hold my bones in place."

"I'm rather surprised," Tsuna said, though his face was that of disapproval. "That you can actually hold up for that long even after going against Hibari."

"Yeah well..." Enma shrugged. "Help me? Please? Natural recovery after falling off of a cliff is far too slow for my liking. That kind of healing would take _months_ and it's only been a _week_ since I first arrive."

Tsuna rolled his eyes but lit his hand up in Sun flames. "I'm not as proficient as Onii-san so it's gonna take a couple of hours. Especially when shattered bones are involved."

"If it's going to take that long," Reborn butted in. "I'll do it."

Tsuna faltered and both he and Enma stared at the hitman strangely.

Reborn didn't like how they seemed to suggest that the world was coming to an end. Did they really need to have that kind of reaction? "You two are in for it once I'm done."

That response got sighs of relief.

"..." That was the last time Reborn was going to try being considerate to these two dame-duo. (And to think he was pitying their past experiences too.)

* * *

 **Hey guys, I'm back~! But a fair warning to you all. I may or may not keep a consistent update because I'm having difficulty moving forward with the story in future chapters ^^'**

 **Reborn was only being considerate because of the experiences that they went through. Now, that tiny (microscopic) consideration all went down the drain.**

 **I think Enma and Tsuna are close enough friends to read each other without saying much, don't you? It should also be the same with his guardians (if they're present) as well so them silently conversing is justified.**

 **Also, I - uh... didn't know what name I should give the enemy famiglia so it came out kinda... lame? Lol whatever**

 **Thanks to** _Aimee, Guest(4), Jupiter27, Guest(3), Guest(2), Little Ms. Pumpkin, Bell2629, jgood27, DaOrangeSoda, naturefire, wildcat1144, ChaosFox60, Ever-Lethargic, Guest(1), Maria Aizabelle373, Yuki, Undertheskys, thor94, Shiroshi.2, YokaiAngel, Kitani, vampireharry the 2, Nella Moonblood Royalle, sousie, D C JoKeR H S, Lunapok, Chew Chew, TheSilverHunt3r, Sora Rider X, Kyara17, mokona-pyuh, Caleo Ignacium, yaoiyurilovers , meme7789, MayaHikari, Quiet Usagi, anjanishe, FallStar13, JustSome01, Kacchan23_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	31. The Answer to Life

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 **[Location: Italy]**

Cavallone Dino stood by the bed that rest one Vongola Nono, brows furrowed in concern at the sight of the ever-fragile elderly mafia don. The latter's condition has been getting worse as or late, that he knew, but he wasn't sure if he _want_ to know how worse Nono has gotten.

"Dino..." Nono said weakly - too weak to his liking. The blonde carefully watch the up and down motion of the elder man's chest, dreading the time that it will completely _stop_. "Thank you..."

"The Cavallones have been Vongola's allies since the Founders' time." Dino answered softly, his fist clenched tightly. "There's no need for these things. I will try my best to protect Vongola for as long as necessary."

Nono looked towards the ceiling, eyes closing for several long moments in thought. "How is Xanxus?"

"He's fine," Dino allowed himself a small chuckle. "He's being quite considerate nowadays. Perhaps it's because he doesn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble for you as of now."

"He's a good child." Nono sighed deep and long. "If only..."

"Don't say that," Dino frowned slightly. "Xanxus has accepted the fact that he couldn't become your heir. But the Varia, as of now, is probably the only reason Vongola haven't taken the plunge."

"But he has still not approved of Ienari, has he?"

"..."

Vongola Nono looked towards the Cavalleno Don with eyes that already knew the answer. "I think... we might need to host it soon."

Dino blinked before his eyes slowly widened in realization of what the other was implying. "Nono... he's still -"

"I understand that," Nono cut off and closed his eyes again, but in resignation. "But I don't think we have the luxury of time anymore."

"You can still get better!" The blonde argued. "We just need to -"

The elder mafia boss shook his head and wasn't willing to say any more on the subject. "Please, inform everyone."

"..." Dino sagged his shoulders helplessly, knowing what was to come but quite frankly, he was every bit against it. Although hes Family were one of the closest allies of Vongola, he was still an outsider in the end. He didn't have the power to change Nono's decision. However, both of them knew that the heir was still young, and hasn't been shaped into the role of a leader yet. But what other choice do they have? As of now, only a miracle could turn the fate of Vongola around.

"Alright."

* * *

 **[Location: Japan]**

Tsuna turned on his laptop and immediately logged into Skype after they got back home. Seeing the green dot next to the person he was looking for, he went straight for a video-call.

Enma was sitting on the floor behind him, having been invited to stay at the Sawada household by Tsuna (Nana was more than happy to allow a friend of Tsuna's to sleepover... for an indefinite amount of time), playing with Natsu. The lion cub had missed Enma very much and had been waiting for the right moment to ask Tsuna for permission to come out.

"Gao!"

"Happy to see you too, Natsu," Enma chuckled as the Sky lion licked his face.

"TSU-CHAN~!" came Byakuran's childish voice that had the redhead thrown for a loop upon hearing it.

"... No." Enma entered into a state of denial when he saw the person on the other end of the video call because a kid Byakuran was not a good thing. Heck, a normal _adult_ Byakuran was bad enough and now, there's a _kid_. " _ **No**._ "

"Pfft...!" Tsuna refrained from laughing (Don't get Tsuna wrong, he still very much empathized with Enma on this) while Byakuran pouted indignantly.

"You're so mean _En-chan_."

Enma was absolutely scandalized at the nickname and, shoving Tsuna aside, had gripped onto the lid of the laptop so harshly that it might have broke if any more pressure was added. "Call me that again and I'm going to frickin' _murder_ you - kid or not!"

... He would have looked quite menacing to match his words if not for Natsu happily perched onto of his head.

Byakuran gasped dramatically, breaking into crocodile tears acting like he was being wronged. "E-Enma-kun's so meeeaaaannn! Tsuuuu-chaaan, heeelp!"

Said person rolled his eyes and promptly shove back at Enma, stealing his position back. "Whatever Shiro."

"Shiro?" Enma reiterated in disbelief, eyes widening in horror. " _Shiro?!_ Oh my god Tsuna, you're giving him more fuel! He's a _kid!_ "

Tsuna shot his best friend a 'shut-up' look before returning to the camera. "I want answers and you're going to give them to me."

"..." Byakuran broke from his facade and sighed, leaning back into his too-large of a leather chair. "I suppose you heard from Enma-kun?"

"Yes, from _Enma_ ," Tsuna emphasized. "Why didn't _you_ tell me what was actually going on if you _knew_."

"And then what?" The Sky Mare snapped back with scorn. "Let you storm into Italy in a fit of rage?"

"... you know I wouldn't -"

"You wouldn't? You had _nothing_ tying you back at that time," Byakuran pointed out, violet eyes narrowing testily. "Besides, because of your new body, your control over your Sky flames were flimsy at best. Would you be able to rein your flames in when your emotional state is sent into a frenzy once you learned of your Family's murderer? Tell me, Sawada Tsunayoshi, would you be able to _think_ in that moment?"

"..."

"Exactly." Byakuran lazily rest his cheek in his hand as his elbow was propped against the armrest. "Vongola Primo was worried _because_ of this that he didn't say anything to you and had transferred his and his guardians' memories onto their parallel selves' instead just in case if the worse comes to worst."

Tsuna clasped the pocket watch under his shirt, knowing that his father-figure was listening as well.

"I may not know you personally, but from the memories of my other self, I can confidently say that you're a Sky - an all encompassing-Sky at that - that lives for his Elements. Without any Elements at all, you wouldn't _be_ the Vongola Decimo that we could all rely on." Byakuran drummed his fingers on the other armrest almost impatiently. "You needed to find your anchor again before you knew, Tsuna."

"... thank you." Tsuna said softly after a short pause. It wasn't enough to express his gratitude towards Vongola Primo and Sky Mare, who had been taking a careful look at all the details even though the latter should be a _kid,_ but it was all he could do.

Byakuran chuckled. "It seems that you already found an anchor, Tsu-chan."

"Heh," Memories of the short time he had spend with Ienari and his set of guardians came to mind, along with Reborn, Nana, those who he could sincerely considered his family even though he should not - _did not_ belong. "Kids, I tell ya."

"You sound _old_ Tsu-chan." The other couldn't help but tease.

"Shut up, you little brat."

Byakuran laughed instead.

Enma shook his head in amusement. "Can't argue that we _are_ kind of old."

"Gao." Natsu meowed an agreement.

"We're not even in our _thirties_." Tsuna sallied back, looking scandalized because of the injustice. "And besides, we're physically _sixteen_ right now!"

"Combine that with our mental age of twenty-six and we got a whooping _forty-two._ " Enma smirked, then his eyes brightening up with a sudden epiphany. "Oh hey, that's the answer to life! Tsuna, we're the answer to life!"

"..." The corner of Tsuna's lips wordlessly tugged as he stared, and he wondered why his best friend's comment actually had some truth to it when it was obviously just a joke.

Enma seemed to have caught onto Tsuna's train of thought, and hence, tactfully stopped and stared back mutely. He was now feeling somewhat regretful for tossing out the casual comment. It... It should be a joke right? It wasn't because someone up there messing with them right? Right?!

Byakuran had been laughing but now decided right then to laugh even harder after seeing their reactions. Right off of his chair.

"... Alright, alright," The brunet pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation. "The mood's already lightened enough so let's get on with it."

Byakuran gave the camera a thumbs up before flopping back onto the floor. Tsuna refrained from an eye-roll and didn't wait for the other to return to reality.

"Byakuran. Byakuran!" Tsuna sighed in defeat. " _Shiro!_ "

"Here!" The Sky Mare appeared back into the camera's vantage point with his hand up as if he was responding to a roll call in class.

Tsuna declined to comment about the child's behavior. "If that person - I'm going to guess the head of this Tartartuga Famiglia - is aware of the existences of parallel worlds, doesn't that mean he knows that we're here?"

"Tartaruga Itzal," Byakuran confirmed with a nod. "Weird guy, never shows his face in public. It's probably because he is some creepy anti-marshmallow jerk that -"

"Shiro, _focus_."

Byakuran reluctantly but obediently followed the request. "... To answer your question, no. Your ancestor did some weird mumbo jumbo with the Trinisette so that your presence remained undetected by him during the transfer of souls. So you two are probably as normal as teenagers involved with the mafia as you can get!"

"Which, if I may add, is _not_ normal by any standards." Enma gave his two cents' worth, with Tsuna agreeing whole-heartedly to his comment.

"Shiro, what do you know of them?" Tsuna returned back on topic. Seriously, they never seemed to be able to focus on a single topic all the way through in their conversation. "My school has been attacked by one of their allies just a few days ago -"

"Ah, the Scorpios?" Byakuran interjected, humming a bit. "Yes, I have heard. It's hard not to when Vongola Decimo is going to a _public_ school."

"... They know Ienari's face, don't they." Though it should've been a question, but Tsuna's tone was of certainty.

"Of course~!" The Sky Mare chuckled in amusement as he spun on his swirly chair. "The fact that he resembles his _father_ , the Young Lion, so much isn't making it any better either."

Tsuna refrained from facepalming. He would have to agree to that, Ienari _does_ take after Iemitsu it seems. It does make Tsuna wonder how the genetics revolving that worked out, him resembling their great-great-great grandfather while his brother looks like their biological father. The wonders of genetics he supposed. "We should seriously help with their training just in case something like that happens again."

"... Isn't Reborn-kun enough? Why add another Satan?"

" _God,_ Shiro, do I look like a sadist to you?"

"..."

"Heh," Enma couldn't hold back the snicker when Byakuran's tactful silence said it all.

"Fine, be that way," Tsuna threw a fit, folding his arms across his chest as he slouched into his chair. "Don't come asking for another marshmallow-related dessert ever again."

The Sky mare gasped dramatically again. " _Nooooooo!_ Tsu-chan's not a sadist! Tsu-chan's a god-sent angel from the marshmallow-y heavens above and should be worshiped by all that lives and breathes and -"

"No, please, just - just _stop_." Tsuna was absolutely appalled at the thought of being put on a pedestal and worshiped by all of humanities. He has been revered enough as it was as Vongola Decimo, let along the _entire world_. "Let's stay serious for once, Shiro!"

" _Fine_ ," Byakuran threw his hands up in the air. "I'll send you the complied version of what I have on the Tartarguas. It's not much though, since they're not the ones getting their hands dirty but the allies they have under them."

Tsuna nodded. "One more thing."

"There's _more?!_ "

"... I just want to know how are you and Yuni doing." Tsuna deadpanned.

"Oh..." Byakuran smiled sheepishly. "We're doing _great!_ When are you coming to Italy, Tsu-chan? The country's _soooo_ boring without a trouble magnet around!"

"... I'm going to pretend you didn't say that."

"But it's not that far from the truth, is it?"

"- HOLY MOTHER OF UNICORNS AND ALL THINGS MARSHMALLOW-Y!" Byakuran did one of those comical startled poses when Reborn appeared out of nowhere and spoke. "I call witchcraft! Witchcraft I tell you!"

"... That was not necessary," Reborn commented with derision and looked towards the other two occupants of Tsuna's room. "How can you two deal with this brat?"

Enma and Tsuna shared a look and shrugged in unison.

"Well, you gotta be us for one thing," Tsuna answered with Enma nodding in agreement.

Reborn stared. They did not just admit they have a few screw loose. Heck, _Reborn_ wouldn't admit that he himself had a few screw loose... sometimes. But hey, at least _he_ made sense.

* * *

Tsuna exhaled as Sky flames burst into life at the same moment that Earth flames did on the other side. Tsuna decided that he should help Enma adapt his body and the control of his flames since the latter only just recently arrived, so starting now, they would try to spar regularly.

It was also practice for Tsuna too because he finally found a suitable sparring partner to use his flames against. (Not that he didn't think Hibari wasn't a suitable opponent either, it was just, well, Hibari was still young in _experience_ compared to what him and Enma went through.)

"Y'know," Enma remarked, his eyes glancing around the very same spot of the forest that Tsuna unintentionally destroyed. "If I didn't know you any better, I would've thought you're as destruction-prone as your guardians."

"... shut up." Tsuna rolled his eyes and let himself fall into a battle stance. "I admit that it's my fault for my lack of control..." He parried when Enma suddenly came in with a punch.

"That's funny," Enma chuckled, flames bursting at full and speeding towards Tsuna who, distanced himself. "Kind of hard to imagine since you hardly ever do that."

"Yeah, well," Tsuna grunted as he met a kick with one of his own, both of them were in a stalemate for a moment before dashing apart. "Tsunayoshi wasn't born with the most... favorable conditions."

Enma remained silent on the matter, preferring to focus now. Tsuna did the same and both of them exchange a punch for punch, kick for kick. At some point, Enma slipped and got himself uppercutted.

The redhead mobilized the fact that he was now sent into the air and activated his Earth flames' gravity against Tsuna.

"That is such a cheat!" Tsuna griped, fighting against the said gravity with everything he's got.

Enma snorted in the air. "Want black holes instead?"

"... no thank you." Tsuna deadpanned and with a burst of Sky flames, he moved out of the area of effect and aimed several X-cannons at the airborne controller of gravity.

The other turned and weaved before having to block a punch when Tsuna joined the bandwagon of being airborne. However, the brunet felt a sideways force and he was once again the victim of Enma's gravity manipulation.

Tsuna quickly used his gloved hands as a thrust force against it and did a frontal charge that was then switched to Hyper X-Stream, leaving Enma in a Sky flame-made tornado. It didn't detain the redhead for long though because the latter created gravity spheres, letting the flames deflect towards the them.

"You aren't using your other flames?" Enma asked, half in doubt and half in curiosity.

"I did."

"Ah?" Enma felt his muscles relaxing as well as his gravity spheres reducing in size. He only now realized that Tsuna had doused Rain flames into the fix of the Hyper X-Stream without him detecting. The redhead sighed as he drops back to the ground, his flames extinguished. "Fighting you again makes me realized how annoying it is."

The brunet landed back against the ground, his flames extinguishing a few seconds later. They agreed to use try to use the bare minimum in the spar so as to not cause too much commotion, therefore their fight ended rather quickly.

"Fighting you makes _me_ realized why I never voluntarily want to fight you in the first place," Tsuna made a face. "That gravity manipulation is hard to overcome."

Enma's lips twitched, but decided not to comment how _he_ wouldn't voluntarily fight Tsuna because Tsuna had so many flames at his disposal. Now _that_ was what he called an unfair advantage. (If they were actually going to argue on this, Enma knew that it would be hours on end and in the end, there _still_ wouldn't be a winner in the case like every other time they bickered about the topic. But right now, they would like to try to avoid wasting time on it.)

"So..." Enma went to pick up his jacket and school bag off in the distance, taking extra care to dust off the jacket before lunging it over his shoulder along with the bag (They had gotten up early in the morning to stretch their muscles before class). He cast a glance at his friend, who was also picking up the things he left nearby, crimson red eyes flickered in curiosity. "Have you thought things through?"

Tsuna paused and gave the other a look before walking down the road back to town and to school, Enma following just a step behind. "You should already know what I think. I don't want them going."

"But it's not like you can stop them," Enma frowned mildly and helplessly. "It _is_ their ceremony."

"..." Tsuna closed his eyes briefly for a moment, thoughts continued to trouble his mind as he replayed the conversation they the night before.

.

.

.

 **"Nono wants Ienari and his guardians to leave for Italy?" Tsuna asked with Byakuran still online and listening. Reborn had came to give him and Enma that tad bit of news after receiving a call from the Vonogla through his private channel.**

 **"Yes."**

 **"... but Italy..." Tsuna didn't like that they were already letting his brother and his friends go to the boot-shaped country (event though they have went there recently) when they weren't strong enough.**

 **"Nono's condition," Reborn scowled, miffed and helpless of the situation of said person. "It's getting worse."**

 **"... wait," Tsuna's eyes widened at the implication. "You don't mean..."**

 **"He decided that the Inheritance Ceremony either happens now or never." Reborn didn't mince the words. "Because once he's... _out of commission_ " - The hitman didn't want admit to the worse that was highly likely to happen to his long-time friend - "things wouldn't be good for Ienari and his guardians. Vongola Decimo need the recognition of the entire Family _now_ , when Nono still has influence, as opposed to later because even if he has the right to the Head seat..."**

 **"Vongola should be at its weakest when the Head seat is temporarily empty." Enma concluded, almost mumbling as his face took on a serious expression. "Those who are dissatisfied would use that opportunity to act."**

 **"Exactly." The Sun Arcobaleno confirmed. "After all, not everyone's in favor of Ienari right now."**

 **"Oh?" Tsuna's eyes narrowed. "I wouldn't be surprise, Ienari's not at the level of being about to take the lead yet."**

 **"When are you going exactly?" Enma asked curiously of the hitman.**

 **"Right after the start of the new school term."**

 **The former mafia duo blinked before Enma quipped, "So... no school? Awesome."**

 **Byakuran chuckled through the screen. "Don't forget to invite me and Yuni-chan~"**

 **"Of course," Reborn replied back. "... After you guys have done the paperwork for entering the alliance."**

 **"... bleh," The Sky Mare stuck on his tongue in disgust. "That's work!"**

 **Tsuna gave the child a look.**

 **" _Fiiine_..." The other threw his hands up because even if he didn't know the brunet personally, that stern look that made people feel as though they did something wrong still works wonders. "... after Tsu-chan and En-chan -"**

 **" _Byakuran!_ " The redhead protested, but was ignored.**

 **"- comes to Italy!"**

 **Tsun fell into a contemplative silence. He had been tempted to tag alone with Reborn and Ienari but when he thought about it, it would only bring too much attention and that would most certainly restrain his movements. He and Enma will have to leave -**

 **"Oh, and I should also tell you that Irie Shoichi must be present as well, since he has pledged alliance to Vongola." Reborn tacked on blithely, bring Tsuna out of his planning. "Everyone whose allied with Vonogla must be to be present to acknowledge the transition between Vongola Heads."**

 **Tsuna wanted to say something but someone beat him to the punch.**

 **"Oh oh oh!" Byakuran chirped and jumped up and down in his seat excitedly. "I'll do the kidnapping!"**

 **"..."**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Tsuna let out a heavy sigh after a short moment of silence, running a hand through his hair as he stared at the sky "I really didn't think things would take such a turn all of a sudden like that."

"Expect the unexpected, ne?" Enma lightly chortled.

Tsuna declined to comment.

"Tsuna," Enma called, pausing in his steps, which caused Tsuna to stop and look back to his best friend. "We can't always baby them. We got to where we were in our world _because_ we were forced to push beyond our limits."

"..." Tsuna dropped his gaze to the ground, thinking silently while Enma quietly observed the brunet's movements.

The brunet sighed, lifting his head back up to reveal a helpless smile. "Can you blame me for wanting to baby them?" Although he said that, his eyes revealed a calm understanding of what they should and should not be doing.

"No," Enma chuckled as Tsuna resumed his pace towards Namimori High. He then moved to catch up to the latter and match his steps. "They're still kids after all."

Even though they have their own agenda because of the ever-present instability of the Trinisette, the two of them weren't too optimistic leaving the young Vongla generation to their own devices just yet.

Time was not on their side, they knew, and every minute spent idling around was every minute their enemy will have gained. But based on Ienari and his guardians' previous performances, they definitely needed all the help they can get. (Tsuna definitely wouldn't like the idea of Ienari and his guardians going to Italy when they couldn't handle the problems in Namimori, where the dangers were fairly low compared to the chaos that is Italy.)

They were all family after all.

* * *

Tsuna was heading home after finishing his after school duties when he heard his name being called. (Enma and the others were pulled off to do some twisted hide-and-go-seek Reborn made up the moment school let off before they would be 'conveniently' gathered back to the Sawada household.)

"Tsuna-kun?"

"Hm?" Said person blinked, a familiar bespectacled redhead met his gaze, along with that of a blonde sucking on a lollipop. How funny was it that he was just thinking about the future engineer and there he was right in front of him. "Shoichi-kun."

Irie greeted back with an enthusiastic smile, pulling his foreign blonde friend towards the brunet. "Spanner, this is the friend I was talking about, Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"Mm." Spanner nodded curtly, his indifferent gaze looking over the brunet. "It's nice to meet you, Sawada."

"Ditto!" Tsuna grinned, shifting his stand to a more comfortable one. "How are you two doing?"

"Good, I guess," Spanner answered, but then brought his gaze up in thought. "Though Shoichi tends to seep in class."

"Hey!"

"You do?" Tsuna furrowed his brows, immediately knowing what the cause of it was. "You don't have to overwork yourself, Shoichi-kun. The security code you send over has already helped enough."

"Oh, that's great to hear," Irie nodded repeatedly. "but... well, I just wanted to see how far I can go."

"I have to admit," Spanner inputted. "Shiochi's engineering skills are amazing. It's nice to meet someone who's on the same level as you, or maybe even better."

Tsuna was happy to hear that the two were getting along like they did in his world.

"Say..." Spanner started again. "What's this... Vongola thing?"

The brunet pulled up short and stared while Irie floundered due to panic. That action wasn't really helping to covering anything up but this was Irie. Maybe the adult Irie would have handle it better but... the adult wasn't here.

"W-where did you hear that from?!"

"You were mumbling in your sleep in class and during some of our projects." Spanner deadpanned. "There was also something about marshmallows and babies but I digress."

Irie stared in horror while Tsuna sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in lieu of facepalming. "You... I don't think you want to know."

"But Shoichi's involved."

"What does that got to do with anything?!" The redhead cried exasperatedly.

"Because," Spanner replied with a straight face, pulling out his lollipop. "If Shoichi can do it, then I can too. So I want in."

The redhead opened his mouth, paused, closed it, then decided to just gape incredulously at his friend. Tsuna just continued to stare for several long seconds before - "Pffft...!" - breaking out in fit of laughter. "You are really competitive!"

Spanner just put the lollipop back into his mouth and waited expectantly.

Tsuna knew that he would have to give an answer so he settled down, taking in deep breathes before looking the blonde dead in the eye. Spanner had to spare a moment to wonder if he was still talking to the same person - but then again, Irie told him that he shouldn't judge Tsuna by his appearance (the fact that his eyes _glowed_ was another matter entirely).

"Are you still willing even though what you want to know will likely put yourself in danger?"

Spanner noted the aura that Tsuna suddenly exuded and discovered that Iriewas right in that Tsuna seemed to be able to draw people in... in _what_ , Spanner wasn't sure, but he felt the sense of security the moment those sunset-orange gaze landed on him. The blonde glance to the side, seeing Irie relaxing under the sudden aura instead of acting like the nervous wreck he constantly was.

"... Shoichi doesn't seem to mind though," Spanner blandly pointed out. "And he acts like a chicken every day."

"... That hurts Spanner."

"It's the truth."

Tsuna chuckled lightly at the two. As much as he didn't want Irie and Spanner to be involved in the mafia business, they made their own decisions. All Tsuna could do is to respect their wishes. "Well... how would you react to the guns, explosions, and mafia?"

Spanner blinked and stared. "... are you serious?"

"Very." Tsuna added a generous nod.

"I don't mind guns since I could take them apart and see if I can make adjustments," Spanner mumbled, thinking to himself. "Actually, if we could make a robot that could shoot out popcorn instead of bullets..."

"... Spanner?" Irie deadpanned.

"Yeah Shoichi?"

"What are you talking about?"

"A mini chore robot that could make Japanese tea."

"..." Irie wanted to ask how his friend's thoughts had went from point A to point B, but he didn't. He didn't want to know what was in between.

Well, Tsuna thought, with that kind of answer, he supposed Spanner was on board the mafia train. "I guess I can't stop you when you made your choice. Just... just don't be surprised when a nine-year old kid with sparkly wings come into the your room and abduct you to another country in the near future."

"..." Irie decided that his stomach hurts while Spanner stared blankly.

"... come again?"

.

.

.

"We're going back where?" was what Tsuna heard the moment he returned to the Sawada household. By the sound of things, Reborn was in the process of explaining to the gathering guardians what they will be doing soon. (Hibari was obviously not there but Reborn has his means of convincing the Skylark later.)

He made his way to the living room and knocked on the wall to announce his presence. Several pairs of eyes landed on him as a result but Tsuna ignored the attention. "What's with all the commotion?"

Ienari decided to groan. "Onii, we'll be going to Italy!"

It would seem that Ienari had all but threw caution to the wind because Tsuna doesn't seemed to acknowledge the fact that they were in the mafia for real. (They have no idea who's actually hiding the real secret here.)

Tsuna quirked a brow, wondering if Ienari was trying to tell him that this was a bad time to barge in, but then shrugged in indifference.

"I know."

"You _know?!_ "

The brunet gave the other an odd look as if it should be obvious. "Why yes, Reborn-san told me earlier."

"Wha -"

"Like I was saying," Reborn interjected, obviously annoyed at how Ienari was behaving and he didn't have the patience to deal with it right now. "Italy in less than a month."

"Why do we have to go back?" Yamamoto voiced, somewhat surprised but mostly confused.

"Nono has made his decision." The hitman explained, a bit miff. He gave Ienari a long leveled stare. "You're going to formally inherit Vongola."

.

.

.

"WHAT?!" came the multiple delayed shouts, though each was a variant of the other and Chrome didn't speak a peep - she just looked startled though whether it was at the sudden news or at the increase in volume, only she would know the answer.

While they were caught up with the news, Tsuna had leaned against the wall with Enma next to him. They were close enough to listen in when they want to but far enough to be considered as outsiders.

Enma cast his friend a glance and nudge him in the side. "Hey." _Cheer up. You know we'll be there to make sure they're all okay._

"I know." _But it still makes me worry..._ Tsuna smiled wryly, half listening to Reborn explain what he already knew and have conversing silently with the former Simon Decimo. He frowned after a moment, furrowing his brows momentarily. _I can't help the feeling that something's going to happen_.

Enma stiffened, his expression slowly turning dark. "Still..." _No matter what, their safety comes first before us._

 _Right_. Tsuna nodded. "I'll have to trouble you."

"Don't give me that." Enma made a face. _We're like brothers._

"..." Tsuna looked down on the ground. Enma was right, he was as much of a brother as his guardians were like his siblings. No matter what anyone says, he could always count on Enma to have his back when it counts but... he didn't get Enma's back that time. He was nowhere _near_ to that.

Upon seeing the guilt that was riddling the brunet once more, the redhead sighed and bonked the teen on the head. "Tsuna, I thought you're already over that phase."

"What phase?" Yamamoto blurted out, having just overheard them because he saw the redhead hitting Tsuna's head.

"It's nothing," Tsuna responded with a light laugh before grinning playfully. "So... congratulations on being selected to participate this Italian exchange program that Reborn-san said his friend sponsored!"

* * *

"Fon-san, Colonello-san," Tsuna greeted the two Arcobalenos who had arrived to help Ienari and his guardians' training when they arrive in a few moments.

As of now, the Tenth generation had been given double the workload - especially Ienari, since, after all, he _is_ the Vongola Decimo after all - because they have to know how the Inheritance Ceremony was processed and the do's and don't's.

Hibari had also participated because... well, when Reborn said he had a mean of convincing the Skylark, he meant throwing Tsuna into the ring and have the latter deal with the problem...

 **"Hibari-san, Italy. Right after new school term." Tsuna had chosen to mince his words after a long staring contest.**

 **The other's glare seemed to have intensified on Tsuna, boring a hole through the brunet's head.**

 **Tsuna inhaled a deep breath as he pinched the bridge of his nose before opening his sunset-orange eyes and staring blandly at Hibari. "You, me, and everyone else knows that you have to go so let's not waste both of our time and skip through the refusal, pleading, the bite-to-death process and get straight to the you-nodding-unwillingly-in-agreement part, alright?"**

 **Hibari had given the brunet a long stare before acting out what the latter had said. (The nodding-unwillingly-in-agreement part.)**

Reborn had been quite offended when Tsuna retold of what happened because _Reborn_ had took a good while last time to convince the Cloud to go to Italy before the latter gave in... Well, compared to how Tsuna's went, it was a good while longer.

"Hey Tsuna!" Colonello grinned, promptly jumping onto said boy's left shoulder while Fon on his right. During the two Arcobaleno's stay, they had gotten quite attached to the brunet's warm smiles and accepting eyes. They had seen the shadow behind the brunet from time to time when Tsuna was watching and giving analysis to Reborn while Ienari and his guardians trained, and had been pulled in instantly, curiosity getting the best of them. "How ya been, kora?"

"It's been... noisy." Tsuna said helplessly. "What with the upcoming trip to Italy and all."

"Speaking of that," Fon said with a barely noticeable frown. "Are you sure you'll join _us_?"

Tsuna paused for a second to look at the Storm Arcobaleno's concern. He chuckled and shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about Fon-san."

"But Tsuna..." Colonello couldn't help but input. "That world of ours is dangerous, kora."

"I know." The brunet answered earnestly with a mirthless smile as he leaned against the nearest tree of the supposed training ground - the very same training ground that Tsuna wrecked a while ago due to his lack of control of his flames (He swore, Reborn was mocking him or something for choosing that very same spot). Both Arcobaleno knew of Tsuna's awareness of the mafia and Vongola courtesy of Reborn (though not the part about him coming from a parallel world, that would have been too complicated to explain and even more difficult to believe in) and, despite of themselves, still worries, so Tsuna was grateful for their concerns. "But I have ways of fending myself."

Colonello and Fon remained unconvinced.

"Perhaps you should learn a bit of self defense?" Fon offered.

"... I doubt I'll need to learn much," Tsuna refrained from chuckling. After all, the ones who would actually need self-defense would be his opponents.

"You don't, kora?" Colonello raised a brow.

"Mm," Tsuna answered with an amicable smile. "I mean, I have been sparring Hibari-san for quite a while now and I'm still in one piece!" Well, that and the regular bouts that he and Enma decided to exchange in order to keep each other on their toes in the past few days.

"... What?" Both Colonello and Fon gave blank stares. The obviously hadn't heard of that one before.

"It's a long story," Tsuna laughed and noticed that Ienari's group had finally arrived. "They look tired."

Colonello chortled. "Reborn's cramming a lot of things into their heads, of course they would be tired, kora!"

"But we always have to switch their mindsets to fit this part of training," Fon sighed and hopped off of Tsuna's shoulder. "We should get started."

"Have fun!" Tsuna cheered and watched from the sidelines as Reborn shot Ienari with the Hyper Dying Will bullet to start things off. The brunet had been somewhat surprised at the pair of _sickles_ that Ienari pulled out but then again, everyone's weapon had always been a bit different. Though he had expected Ienari's choice of weapon to be gloves as well since they were, after all, twins... and direct descendants of Vongola Primo. (Then again, Iemitsu had a _pickax_ as his weapon.)

Perhaps being _fraternal_ twins had something to do with the dissimilarity.

Tsuna's thoughts were pushed to the back of his head when he his Intuition thrummed for him to - _**Bang!** \- _ dodge a bullet to the face.

"Reborn!" Ienari protested heatedly, sunset-orange eyes glaring at his tutor. He hadn't expected said hitman to suddenly start shooting his brother, who, as anyone can see, was _defenseless_.

"What?" The Sun Arcobaleno shot back innocently. "I was just seeing how Tsuna's reflexes are."

"That doesn't - " Ienari sighed in frustration. He had already accepted that his brother was on the same boat as them but still, Reborn hadn't been that harsh against him when he first started! " - You didn't have to _shoot_ him!"

"Why are you so uptight?" Reborn said blandly. "He's still alive, isn't he?"

 _Oi... I'm right here._ Tsuna's eye twitched and restrained from rolling his eyes at the Sun Arcobaleno before becoming all smiles. "Maa, Reborn-san's just being considerate."

"Co... _considerate_?" Ienari chocked out in disblief. That word and Reborn shouldn't even belong in the same sentence!

"Of course," Tsuna chuckled, straightening up and seemingly walked towards the two. "He's just making sure my reflexes are enough for me to avoid trouble whenever possible."

"..." Ienari couldn't help but see some truth in that. As long as Tsuna was able to prevent himself from running into trouble while Reborn, him and his guardians weren't in Japan, then they would all be better off. (He had no idea how absurd that thought of his was. After all, it wasn't _Tsuna_ that wanted to run into trouble, it was _trouble_ that _loves_ running into him. Constantly.)

"Unfortunately, I rather stay out of this part of your game," Tsuna continued and inclined his head to the side, his sunset-orange eyes clear and calm. "I never really did like fighting."

An amused smirk tugged at Reborn's lips when he saw the stubbornness tucked away in Tsuna's words. "Being a pacifist doesn't solve the world's problems. You'll have to fight sooner or later."

"... whatever," Tsuna rolled his eyes and ambled past the two. "I'll find Hibari-san to help me then."

Ienari pulled up short and stared in disbelief. "Onii... you're not serious are you?"

"Dead serious." Tsuna answered back, now a few feet away, and waving his hand up in the air as a gesture to excuse himself completely from the conversation.

"... Onii?"

"Hibari-san! Where are you -"

"Onii...!"

"- Oh, Enma's training with you too? That's even better!"

" _Onii!_ That's the worst idea you ever had!"

* * *

 **Okay... so, we'll be moving from Japan to Italy soon! Just another reminder if anyone haven't already known... this fanfic doesn't have yaoi... or yuri for that matter - heck, I don't even know if there'll be any romance _at all_ actually so I'm sorry if I got your hopes up for certain shippings.**

 **I'm sorry if this chapter isn't that... good(?) I have been busy honestly - and stressed. The latter part of last week and early part of this week, I went to AnimeExpo (My first time there :D) with my friends and there were sooooo many people there that the line getting in went around a block or two... or three. (I thought I wouldn't be able to see the end after walking for like ten minutes lol)**

 **This chapter was supposed to be finished and updated last Thursday but, well, I was packing things to stay over my a friend's house for the convention so I completely forgot about it and for the next few days, I have been out from morning to late into the night (My feet were _killing_ me!) with no time to even touch my laptop.**

 **I _planned_ to go on the last day as well (which was today), which meant the chapter would still be continued to be delayed, but something cropped up the night before when and friends and I went home via metro train. Long story short, my phone and my wallet where I kept my ID and credit cards were stolen. I don't know - I mean I just felt really _really_ dumb. Because the guy was _right_ in front of me while I was reading on my phone and in the next second it was gone. I was absolutely oblivious of what can happen while riding on the train at night because it was my first time using that kind of transportation and by the told we called the police, it was already too late and I really doubt the police will be able to track that thief down so yeah... ****(It was this one time that I really wish KHR was real so Tsuna can give me my justice T^T)**

 **I had to barrow my friend's phone to call back to my parents to cancel my cards and then I had to think about reapplying for them and for my driver's license and student ID and I was just stressed out and couldn't sleep so I came to finish this chapter to get my mind off of things.**

 **P.S. The 42 thing... it was a coincidence that the numbers I randomly chosen way early in the story actually add up so I couldn't help it lol**


	32. Italy

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

New travels far and wide, the Vongola knew. They have no way of keeping such an important event as the transition between one boss to another for one of the oldest Famiglia that had existed in the Cosa Nostra society no matter how tight-lipped they were.

Allies and enemies alike received the news, and some had already started to scheme for the Old Blood's downfall. It was also the reason why Ienari and his guardians had to stay on guard almost daily in case of assassination attempts lately.

Reborn didn't do much to help, because he saw it as part of the training to keep Ienari on his toes and his Intuition sharp. So unless the young Vongolas were in a life threatening situation, he wouldn't lift a finger (and it was in his contract that he couldn't be directly involved unless it was absolutely necessary).

Besides, of the assassins sent so far, most of them were for probing so the Sun Arcobaleno didn't worry much at all as he watch Ienari struggle while drinking Tsuna's one-of-the-kind espresso. (The hitman was getting addicted and that wouldn't do him good if the brunet ever decide to hold his personally brewed coffee hostage.)

Ienari, on the other end, was both exasperated and stressed because those 'probes' were very much threats to his _life_ if he wasn't careful enough. And let's not forget about Tsuna, who thought mafia was still a game and their mother, who, although was quite oblivious of the situation, welcomes anyone and everyone into the household. Assassins included. (And that leads to even more complication and danger on Nana's life.)

He had never been more glad to have Bianchi staying at home most of the time to watch over the Sawada Matriarch while the latter go about her day uninterrupted. Nor had he ever been this happy that they were finally on the plane to the mafia-infested country of Italy. (Which was a few days earlier than planned because, well, Reborn reasoned that it was to throw potential attackers offtrack.)

Albeit, at the thought of _Italy_ made Ienari's stomach churned -

"Oi, Baka-Nari," Reborn called, nonchalantly bopping Ienari on the head with Leon-Hammer. "Pay attention."

"Ow..." The blonde groaned but made no other complaints, because he _knew_ that Reborn would be much worse if he complains. His attention shifted back to the stack of paper placed in front of him with reluctance (If Ienari thought the three-inch think stack was a nightmare, then he hasn't experiences real hell yet.) "Why does a mafia boss have to paperwork anyways?"

The infant hitman deadpanned at him. "Do you _want_ me to give you this lecture, _again_?"

"Not particularly, no," Ienari sweatdropped and unconsciously scoot away from Reborn.

"Then get back to work."

"... yes sir." And Ienari resumed what was most probably how his future job would be like while being several hundred kilometers in the air.

.

.

.

The plane ride had went relatively smoothly but the jet lag was something he and the rest of his crew could do without (Minus Reborn of course, he seemed to have been perfectly fine traveling across different time zones).

Ienari finally let out a long suffering sigh after the horrendous twelve hour flight and paperwork, climbing down the private plane that they have been on.

 _"Welcome back Signore Decimo!"_

Ienari jolted back from his exhaustion, only now realizing that the hatch of the plane was being flanked by men in black suit. Involuntary reflexes kicked in and his spine turned ramrod straight with a sudden air of aloofness taking over - like that of when Ienari distanced himself and his classmates.

"Yo, Ienari!"

Said blonde looked ahead, seeing the appearance of one Cavallone Dino waving at him with Romario standing by his side.

"Dino." Ienari greeted, shoulders somewhat more relaxed upon seeing someone he was relatively more familiar with. "You came -" He took a pause when he sensed the heightening dark aura of Hibari Kyouya behind him and sweated. This wasn't good, Hibari was probably already pissed that coming along, add to the jet lag and now the Bucking Horse who Hibari seemed to hate for some odd reason.

"- to get us?" He forced himself to finish despite the dread pooling in his stomach. He _really_ rather not have a fight breaking out at the airport.

"Of course!" Dino replied, grinning as Ienari and the others approached. "Why wouldn't I come pick up my little brother?" He also gave Hibari a wave. "Haha, how have you been Kyou -"

 ** _Swish!_**

\- "Whoa!" Dino had to evade a flying tonfa and also maneuver around an attacking Hibari Kyouya, much to the horror of two blondes. "H-hey now... we shouldn't fight -"

 ** _Thwack!_**

\- Reborn landed on top of Dino after smacking the blonde on the head which had the subsequent effect of halting Hibari in his attack run.

"Reborn..." The other whined, but didn't try to get up because he knew it was of no use. "What was that for?"

"You're wasting time." Reborn answered primly.

"But he -" Dino _pointed_ at Hibari, oblivious to the fact that he was only digging a deeper hole for himself to bury in. "- started it!"

That earned the Cavallone Don another whack on the head that came with a look of derision. "Tch. Looks like we have to start your training all over again."

Dino was _horrified_.

.

.

.

Ienari stared listlessly as they finally arrived at the looming mansion that was the main base to all Vongola. The sense of being chained and pulled against his will was coming back after all this time.

His memories spend in the mansion were exactly... good, per se. He had always had to keep up an act, always toiling away to reach expectations that he couldn't. All those stares that were - _expectationsdisappointmentfdiscontent -_

"Juudaime?"

"Ah -?" Ienari blinked at the concern that he found in Gokudera. The latter, for reasons unknown to Ienari, had been more considerate and observant of Ienari's state of being. The same could be said about his other guardians as well. He didn't know what exactly happened, but he had a feeling that his brother was involved. Nonetheless, he felt warm and touched that they were making effort to connect with him. (It might be his imagination but Ienari felt somewhat _righted_ again after falling off balance just seconds prior.)

"Are you okay, Nari?" It was Yamamoto this time.

"Y-yeah - yes," Ienari corrected automatically, straightening again out of habit. "Yes, I'm fine."

He received several stares for five long seconds, much to Ienari's discomfort - because it wasn't like he was _trying_ to hide from them. He just needed to adjust and slowly loosen himself, that's all.

"Erm..." Dino blinked, having been observing from behind with Reborn perched on his shoulder. "They seem a bit... different."

Reborn spared his former student a glance before replying flatly, "Must be your imagination."

"..."

As they all entered a bustling mansion - the workers were preparing things that were needed for the upcoming ceremony - Ienari received a bit of news that made him relax a bit.

"The Varia's on a mission?"

Xanxus never did approve of the blonde no matter what the the latter did, which, in turn, led to the disapproval of the _entire_ Varia - not that Ienari could blame the Wrath since he, himself, wasn't that confident either. (Unknown to the young Sky, one of the many reasons that Xanxus disdained Ienari for was due to the _lack_ of confidence.)

"Oh, Ienari," Dino tapped the teen on the shoulder. "Come with me, Nono wants a word with you."

"Ah, okay..." The blonde nodded and quietly followed after the Cavalleno Don while the others get settled.

* * *

While Ienari and his guardians were getting situated in Vongola mansion, a private jet with the emblem of the Gesso Famiglia zoomed through the air-stream, crossing the Asia continent and heading for Europe.

"Tsuna," Enma called, waking the brunet out of his absentminded gaze out of the plane window. The redhead pointed to the ever-drumming fingers on the armrest, deadpanning, "Unless you want to be the plane's personal thruster, I suggest you relax."

"Sorry," Tsuna frowned mildly and stopped his habit. "I just... well, it's _Italy_."

"I know," Enma murmured, forcing himself to relax as well as he pressed his back against his seat and sigh. "I think you should sleep it off. I bet your Intuition is ringing like a church bell right about now?"

The brunet made a face while massaging his temple. "Italy's always where most of the chaos is."

"And to think we're heading straight towards the eye of the storm," Enma couldn't help but chuckle.

They had, instead of tagging along with the Vongolas, requested of Byakuran during their last video call to give them a ride to Italy. Like Tsuna had pointed out previously, their movements would have been restricted if they were under the watchful eyes of Vongola. It wasn't as though Tsuna wanted to keep what he knew a secret from his family, but he didn't want to make any impact that may result in internal strife.

Tsuna possessed stronger flames, a capable mind, the right amount of charisma, everything that a mafia don could be (including having previous experience as a mafia boss to boot). The consequences of him showing what he was capable of _before_ Ienari was recognized as the new boss of Vongola would affect the latter's standing since, unfortunately, his brother hadn't gain a lot of recognition as it is.

The only problem that had occurred was that Tsuna wasn't too optimistic of leaving Nana home alone with only Fuuta, I-pin, and Bianchi around. Byakuran had solved that one by contacting Yuni, and consequently, Aria. The mother-daughter duo was more than willing to give Japan another, longer, visit. (At least, until the day of Vongola's Inheritance Ceremony.)

"But..." Tsuna's other hand that had been holding a pen and was tapping incessantly on the paper that was underneath, twitched. The more he tried to burn a hole through the finished stack beside him with his glare, the more his vein threatened to pop in annoyance. " _What. The. Hell. Byakuran?!_ "

Of course, said child, who had personally came to pick up Tsuna and Enma - as well as kidnapping Irie and Spanner while he was at it - was fast asleep... Or at least, he was pretending to be so that he would dodge Tsuna's wrath when the Sky Mare suddenly dumped a pile of paperwork onto Tsuna's lap. (Although Tsuna complained at first, he still swept through it at breakneck speed because it was mainly about the alliance that the Gesso and the Giglio Nero put together for Vongola.)

"And I thought I was _done_ with this." Tsuna almost growled as he twirled the pen around his fingers, tempted at throwing it.

"I still couldn't believe you bought out an entire firm that one time and converted it into a _pen_ factory because you keep using them up as _darts_." Enma was reminded of that particular event after seeing Tsuna's gloom and doom, and then he snickered like the schadenfreude he was. "I bet you that you're the only person on the planet that could hit a bulls-eye and then _straight through it_ without even looking."

"Hey," Tsuna scowled, folding his arms across his chest indignantly. "If I can't relieve my stress through beating the crap out of people, then I'll do it through pens and the wall."

"And we all admit that you're almost as scary with pens as you are with gloves."

"Pens and gloves?" Spanner overheard in the seat behind Tsuna, which then brought Irie's curiosity as well.

"Don't go near Tsuna when he has a pen in his hand." Enma chortled and he received an offended look from said brunet.

"Pens?" The Irie repeated, obviously not understanding the inside joke. Why couldn't Tsuna be approached when he has a writing utensil in his hand?

"Who invented them and paper anyways?" Tsuna muttered, which had made the confusion even worst.

.

.

.

"Wah~! We're finally back in Italy~!"

 ** _Bonk!_**

Tsuna smacked the Mare child lightly on the head as a way to get back at the paperwork that he was forced to do. "Need you act like you're homesick?"

 ** _Bonk!_**

... And Enma smacked the Mare kid just because he still held Byakuran over the nickname he had gained awhile back. (Just like how Tsuna was sensitive to comments of how he looked... feminine - not when he became an adult though - Enma was sensitive to the fact that his _name_ sounded feminine enough to begin with.) "Besides, you have only left the country a day or two ago."

Byakuran displayed crocodile tears and looked absolutely pitiable as he held his 'abused' head, visibly shaken as if he'd just learned the truth that Santa Claus wasn't real.

... He then went crying to Irie. "Shooo-chaaan! They're meeeanies!"

"..." Irie was left speechless. He turned to Spanner for help, but found that his friend had already emerged himself in his laptop.

Tsuna rolled his eyes and huffed, pretending that he didn't know the white haired child who was now making a fuss int he middle of the Sicilian Airport. He scanned around, feeling his Intuition pricking.

(Tsuna had only stepped onto Italian soil, and he already felt a sense a danger. Great.)

"Shiro..." Tsuna muttered, kneed his forehead in exasperation. "Stop playing around."

The ones in the know-how, mainly Enma and Byakuran, noticed Tsuna's discreet action of hiding the uncomfortable headache that he might be having. The white-haired boy immediately dropped the act and grinned.

"Okay~!"

They were then lead to the pickup location, where a few men in black were waiting dutifully for Byakuran, and off they went towards Byakuran's humble mansion.

"Tsuna..." Enma frowned towards the brunet as the limo drove. "You shouldn't ignore it y'know."

"I know," The brunet answered curtly, his expression slowly screwed into one of discomfort. "But it's one of those that is telling me _something_ is going to happen soon. It's... not particularly _bad_ per se, but - but it's not a good warning either." Tsuna paused, trying to find the right words to explain, before he suddenly widened his eyes in horror. "Wait, stop the -"

 ** _Screeeee -_**

* * *

 ** _"Trash, get the f*** out of here and report to back to Vongola!"_**

Squalo cursed as he climbed over a wall, landing in another alley. He ignored the sting in his leg - a wound from a gun - and pushed his feet into another sprint.

 _Dammit dammit dammit!_

They'd been _f***ing_ had, Squalo cursed again, thinking back to their mission. It was _supposed_ to be a bust on an enemy famiglia that was being a thorn in Vongola's foot but none of them, not even Mammon, had seen it coming.

The moment they entered the lion's den, they were surrounded by not only the Trabia's but also the Serpentine, the Todd, and the Carcassa Family joining up together as if they _saw_ them coming. They had expected there to be difficulties but not to the point of having to face _four_ famiglia's at once!

The worst part was, they had those sparkly sh** sprinkled all over Mammon and it f***ing weakened the Mist Arcobaleno. (Squalo didn't exactly find that unbelievable because Mammon was well... he looked like someone who lives for the dark so f***ing sparkly sparkles, rainbows and unicorns... even Squalo had to shudder at the thought of those - okay. Sparkles.)

They were overwhelmed by sheer numbers, heck, someone their opponents knew how to use _flames_ when up till now, it had only been privy to the higher-ups of the mafia world.

They had been _good,_ that had also been unexpected. Like they had been trained to deal with the Varia. _F***._

Squalo and Xanxus had came out less injured than the rest of the team but, nevertheless, still injured. The Wrath that was his Sky decided then that he was going to create an opening and have Squalo leave and deliver the warning to Vongola Headquarters.

He wouldn't had even agreed - the Vongola could all burn in hell for all he cared because of he horrible treatment they garnered towards Xanxus (The Wrath may be loyal to Vongola - Vongola as in not-Nono - but the Varia was loyal first to _Xanxus_. Vongola did _nothing_ to earn the Varia's swear of fealty) - if his Sky hadn't shouted at him and f***ing ordered him to run while there was still a chance.

So now here he was, parkouring through the streets of the province of Sicily with a bunch of mafiosi's hot on his _f***ing_ trail along with the spilling of blood. He also had to make sure that he wouldn't be encountering any civilians because of the Omertà. Because although the Varia maybe had no reservations in breaking laws, they weren't suicidal enough to go head to head with Vindice.

He landed himself in what he _thought_ was an empty street... until he saw the shiny black limo coming his way out of nowhere the moment he planted his feet on the ground.

 **Screeeee -**

 _F*** this sh**._

* * *

 ** _Thump -_**

"AHHHHH!"

"WEEEEE ~!"

 _-_ The ride they were in took a sudden sharp turn that caused surprised shouts from Irie, a cheer from Byakuran and... and that was it. Spanner slid with the motion until he hit the door (he took a window seat) while making sure his laptop doesn't get damaged. Enma and Tsuna didn't utter a word and had concentrated more on staying in place when the car decided to imitate a roller coaster and went spinning out of control.

"Tch," Enma clicked his tongue and manipulated gravity to pull the car from the centripetal motion from the outside. Thanks to that, the car came to an abrupt halt with another screech that could be compared to a nail against chalkboard - painful to the ear but at least it was better than the car running into the nearby tree. "What did we just - Tsuna?"

The brunet had already forced himself out the moment the vehicle stopped hurling.

Realizing that something urgent might have happened, Enma followed out just in time to detect a surge of Rain flames exploding forth. The flame signature identical to that of Tsuna's, hence, Enma didn't react negatively.

There were series of _thuds_ and groans that followed afterwards, and it led Enma to look over the hood of the car just in time to see at least ten mafiosi falling to the ground as the result of an overdose of Rain. Albeit, that wasn't the reason why he had been so alarmed.

"Oi, Byakuran," Enma called, somewhat distracted by the sight of a critically injured -and still conscious - _Superbi Squalo_ before treated by Tsuna's Sun flames. However, even though he was nonplussed, Enma was still able to process what needs to be done. "We might need to call a clean up crew."

"What's up -" Byakuran poked his head out of the window and paused. "- oh..."

"We'll have to take these guys in for question if we want to know the inside scoop," Enma mused as he poked his feet against one of the unconscious mafiosi's guts, then made his way towards sweating Tsuna and a nonplussed Superbi Squalo - who was oddly quiet but considering the situation, justifiable.

Enma didn't say anything but he was well informed of Tsuna's condition and although the brunet was now able to control his flames to perfection due to practice, it would still take a toll of his body - especially when utilizing his not-main flames. (It wasn't the matter of whether Tsuna could or could not - because he obviously could - but whether or not his body has the capacity to wield those flames for an extended period of time.)

However, he knew Tsuna wouldn't care. After all, this was the _Varia_. While Tsuna and his guardians often clashed with the assassination squad in their original world, they were all _mocked training_. Tsuna treated them like his own and the Varia had long since recognized Tsuna as Vongola Decimo - hell, at some point in time, _Xanxus_ would personally see to it that no one _dare_ to touch a single hair on his little nephew's head if the job ever called for it. (They only knew of this because it had happened once before - and the aftermath wasn't pretty either.)

"V-voiii..." Superbi croaked, hacking a bit. His voice had been a tad too quiet and his strength too weak, Enma knew, and that was an obvious sign of everything _wrong._ "W-who are you p-people..."

"... All I can say is that we're not enemies," Tsuna's gaze remained detached as he healed as much as was within his capacity. The brunet had obviously been trying to keep his emotions from going into disarray. (He had seen red when he saw the swordsman's state while surrounded by enemies. Thank the lucky stars that the rational side of him told him to deal with the situation properly in the split-second flaring anger.) "It'll be up to you whether or not my words are to be trusted."

Enma knelt down for a closer examination of the swordsman's injuries, he and Tsuna both being more than experienced in recognizing which and what; Gun wounds, scorches from Storm-imbued _something_ on the shoulder and to the gut, internal bleeding from the sight of too-dark bruises, then there was... "Did you come out from a war zone?"

Tsuna gave Enma a swift, stern glance to which the latter shrugged back in response. _Someone_ needed to lighten the mood here and it might as well be Enma because Tsuna was obviously not in the right state of mind. (Mind you, seeing Superbi Squalo in this kind of condition did had some effect of Enma as well. But... he wasn't as familiar with the Varia members as Tsuna was so it was less of an impact - but an impact nonetheless.)

"You could say that..." Squalo wheezed again and tried to sit up without Tsuna's support. " _Sh**._ "

Tsuna frowned in disgruntlement when Squalo coughed out blood.

"Byakuran!" He hollered moments later.

"Here!" The child chirped, for once, answering to his given name because he knew when and where to not play around or not. "Don't worry, we're not that far from home and Daisy's bringing some men with him on his way!"

"I'm _fine_." Squalo growled as he tried to stand up. He was grateful for these brats helping him - and he was positive they weren't, in any way, civilians - but he needed to get going.

"..." Tsuna remained silent but he held an iron-grip on Squalo's arm. The latter should've been on guard, he should've treated that action with suspicion but something about the fluffy-haired brat eased all the tension away and _sh**_ , what the hell?

"Tell me." When the swordsman met Tsuna's eyes, he only saw a burning anger flaring in glowing sunset-orange orbs. "What. Happened."

Squalo involuntarily gulped because f***, he _wanted to comply_ to the Asian brat's demands. The authority evidently leaking from the brunet was clearer than Vongola Nono, more overwhelming than Xanxus and - and _what the hell?!_

"Brat, you shouldn't -" The heavy dose of _power_ leaking from Tsuna had the rest of Squalo's words stuck in his throat and - and _f***_ , he just realized that the brat eerily resembled the portrait of one Vongola Primo.

"It's better if you give us the full account." Enma helpfully advised, standing next to the brunet and unaffected by the aura that his friend was most likely exuding unconsciously.

"Since," The redhead gestured to the mafiosi that were more being piled up by Byakuran. "knowing Tsuna, they should be out for a _day_ and as you can see, my friend's usually long patience is wearing thin."

"... Who the f*** are you brats?" Squalo retorted back, eyes narrowing suspiciously. He wasn't surprised that there were kids in the mafia but to encounter this bunch... there was an underlying danger to them.

"Us?" Enma stretched an enigmatic smile. "We're just passing teenagers, can't you tell?"

 _The hell you are!_

"Byakuran-sama!" came a holler in the distance and a few cars came into view.

Wait, Squalo back-tracked when he's mind was now more focused. The creepy-smiling brat's name sounded familiar. He remembered there was a rumor of an upstarting famiglia that was apparently headed by a _brat_ and had the backings of the Giglio Nero - who was as old as Vongola itself and - and _holy_ _sh**_.

(Squalo just realized he graced with the presence of one Gesso Byakuran and what the he presumed to be the brat's kiddie crew.)

"Daisy's here!" The Mare boy helpfully pointed out the obvious. He then skipped over to Tsuna's side and poked the latter in the ribs, bringing Tsuna back to reality. "Ne ne, Tsu-chan. There's no need to ask. I have heard that there's a famiglia being a thorn to Vongola -" Squalo tensed at the mention and it didn't go unnoticed by the others "- The Varia were most likely send to eliminate them before that ceremony thingy!"

"... I see -" Tsuna paused. "- why are you looking at me like that?"

Bykuran was giving him an imploring look. "I want a good-job pat on the head!"

Enma and Tsuna deadpanned at the child while Squalo wore the 'WTF' look on his face.

"Byakuran." The Enma decided to break the silence first. "I think you to be more mature than that."

"But I'm physically nine!" The other pouted, turning away indignantly.

The duo's eyes softened at the remark. They understood that the moment Byakuran awoken the memories of his countless parallel selves, he was no longer a child. So, this was just his way of trying the get back what he had lost since he was six - especially when Enma and Tsuna indulged the Mare on his whims more often than not.

"Alright, alright," Tsuna chuckled and gave Byakuran a pat on the head. "Good job Shiro."

"Hehe~!" Byakuran grinned before skipping over to greet his kid-Sun and give instructions in what they're supposed to do.

"You." Squalo narrowed his eyes, his suspicion hadn't let up even now knowing that the Gessos were a neutral faction in consideration to the Vongola's relationships. He tried to wiggle out of Tsuna's grip but _damn_ , the fluffy-haired brat's strength was _illogical_. (If only Squalo wasn't so exhausted...) "What the hell does the Gessos want?"

"Gessos?" Tsuna blinked, then he and the redhaired brat shared a look before suppressing a snicker. "No no, you got it all wrong. We are not with Byakuran - well, we are but..."

"'Guests' would probably be more suitable for us since we're not exactly _part_ of his Family" Enma picked up and finished with a flourish. "Hey, Tsuna, are you going to let go of him soon? I think you're cutting off the blood circulation through his arm."

Damn right he was! Squalo expressed his discomfort through a grudging scowl.

"Oh," The brunet blinked and let go sheepishly. "Sorry about that."

Squalo grumbled as he massaged his numbed arm (Seriously, was a teen _supposed_ to have this much strength?!) "You didn't answer my f***ing question."

"A proper introduction would suffice," Tsuna answered back being all polite and sh** that if Squalo hadn't had the first-hand experience with Tsuna's aura, he would have thought it all to be his twisted imagination.

Squalo stared at Tsuna warily.

"... and tell us what happened." Tsuna tacked on upon seeing Squalo's doubts that he would be free after _just_ an introduction.

"The f***," The swordsman hissed. "Why the hell would I tell you brats about Vongola's private affairs?!"

"Are you serious?" Enma drawled a sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"..." Tsuna only offered a deadpanned back with a sweatdrop.

"I mean, _c'mon_!" The redhead gestured to the other's appearance as if the answer was right in front of Squalo.

Tsuna jabbed the ex-Simon Decimo in the ribs and send a glare. "Stop that. They probably don't even know how Primo looks like."

Enma returned the glare with one of ridicule. "I don't think the enormous portrait of Vongola Primo in the mansion is that hard to miss... lest they're all blind."

Wait, Squalo pulled up short at the mention of Vongola's Founder from their mouths. Squalo eyed Tsuna over again and realized that it might not just be a coincidence that the brat and Primo resembled each other. Especially the eyes.

"... _Sh**_."

Tsuna and Enma came to from their banter and stared at Squalo, who had cursed all of a sudden.

"Who the f*** are you?!" Squalo pointed his sword-arm at Tsuna, who didn't even _bat an eye_.

Tsuna smiled and Squalo had to blink when he thought he was seeing sparkles and all those good and holy. Unfortunately, the background still didn't change.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi," He extended a hand out with a lopsided grin. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Superbi Squalo-san of the Varia."

"Sawada." Squalo picked out the more important details. _Sawada, Sawada -_ "Sawada- sh***y-Iemitsu?"

Enma coughed, discreetly hiding a laugh while Tsuna was more amused than offended.

"Yes, he's my... _father_." Even then, Tsuna had his reservations of recognizing Iemitsu.

" _... f***._ " Squalo cursed out loud for he umpteenth, his eye twitching in annoyance. "The idiot has another one?!"

And it was only now that Squalo realized that they have been speaking in _Japanese_ instead of Italian.

* * *

After convincing Squalo - or more like forced him - to accompany them towards Byakuran's place of residence, they set aside the welcome party that Byakuran had gleefully prepared for who-knows-how-long prior. (Irie and Spanner were shown to the Tech room where they had been immersed in the wonders of technology upon sight.)

"Well," Tsuna was sitting across from Squalo in the drawing room, his leg crossing over the other; his relaxed demeanor broke any tension that the room may have. "I agreed that my father _is_ a bit of a ditz -"

Squalo injected a contemptuous snort.

"Tsuna, I know you're a saint and all," Enma commented right after Squalo. "But don't you think that you're giving Iemitsu _too_ much credit?"

"I second that motion~!" Byakuran piped with a raised hand.

(Squalo was starting to find himself liking these kiddies.)

Tsuna ignored them all and continued. "- but he's just trying to do what _he_ thinks is best for Vongola."

"What a chauvinist pig."

"Enma." Tsuna send his friend a pointed look.

"What? Don't tell me you don't agree." The other looked rightfully put-off. "He had Nono _sealed_ your flames since its activation because - what? He thought it was _best_ for you to have your own soul sealed under a cap, ready to explode any second? And then he _ignored_ you entirely after the attempted assassination and probably _still thinks_ you're dead all those years ago!"

Blindsided, Squalo barely kept himself straight after hearing that. Hell, he stared at the brunet as if he was a freak of nature (and probably was), Squalo couldn't even began to imagine what kind of experience the kid had went through in the past. As far as he knew, sealing one's inner flames was pretty much the same as sealing the person's _soul_. It becomes bottled up until it becomes chaotic that it begins to _destroy_ the body internally due to the absent of an outlet. After all, a person's flames was a life force, and that very life force needs a constant outlet to release from or ese, how could it continue to support the body's basic functions of life?)

Enma and Byakuran, on the other hand, filled the room with their angry Earth and Sky aura respectively, making it unbearable.

The brunet didn't retort, because he _couldn't._ No matter how he tried to put light on Iemitsu, it never worked. He accepted that his father-only-by-blood was irresponsible and despite his claims of doing what was best for the Family, it only meant _Family_. Keeping his family in the dark did more damage than not.

"Alright," Tsuna gave up on trying to defend Iemitsu out of filial duty; instead, he soothe the other two by dose them with his own Sky. The immediate effect was them relaxing, and Squalo releasing a breath he hadn't known he was holding in the once-filled-tension room. "Bright side: at least he had prepared Ienari early for it."

"Just so you know," Byakuran gleefully broke the bubble. "No matter how long Ienari has been prepared for this, your younger twin is just not _suitable_ because he's a _weak_ Sky."

"..." Tsuna sighed in exasperation. They just _had_ to have something against the very two that Tsuna tried to defend. "Can you guys not?"

Enma and Byakuran grinned back.

"Twin?" Squalo spluttered. This was _not_ in the records and - and they look _nothing_ alike! " _Twin?!"_

"Yeah... " Tsuna rolled his eyes. "We get that a lot, but I digress."

"Right, " Enma agreed and leaned back against the couch. "Going back to the topic..."

"We never even _started_ on the topic," Byakuran, again, helpfully pointed out.

"Byakuran," The ex-Simon Decimo gave the Mare boy a look. "Not helping."

" _Anyways_ ," Tsuna emphasized, quickly cutting off whatever Byakuran was about to say because he _knew_ that they were going to go off topic. _Again_. It was _always_ been like this whenever he, Enma, Byakuran, and Yuni conversed. (Maybe it was because each of them held a piece of the Trinisette that they tend to be more at ease with each other to talk about various things and joke about it. Because although Enma was only the holder of the subset, he was still consider a part of the Trinisette - a sibling.) "Varia. Details."

Squalo scowled. They have established that the kiddies - or at least the fluffy-haired brat - has the right to know about Vongola affairs. So what?

"It's exactly _because_ we need to know the details in order to properly deal with this situation." Tsuna answered as if he had just read Squalo's mind - which very much spooked the swordsman out.

"What the f***."

"His Intuition is as scary as hell," Enma explained with not even one bit of sympathy, folding his arms across his chest. "Plus, for a member of the infamous independent assassination squad, your thoughts are easily written all over your face."

"..." Squalo coughed in shame and tried to straighten his expression out.

"Besides, time is of the essence here." Tsuna lightly drummed his fingers against his leg, he stared at Squalo coolly with half-lidded eyes. "Vongola headquarter is currently in Venice - not anywhere _in_ Sicily _-_ so it would take you a day or two _at least_ to reach it and another back. So either you tell us now, and we'll deal with it or..."

Tsuna was emitting an aura that Squalo did not understand _how_ it was possible and the swordsman suddenly felt so _f***ing tiny_ \- yet _protected_ \- under the overwhelming presence of one Sawada Tsunayoshi in boss-mode.

The effects showed to be very persuasive when the swordsman finally relented and spilled to them what happened to the Varia.

* * *

 **So... sorry for the hold up but I have been a _bit_ busy with recent events. And I've been might be crazy but I signed for summer school... not that I needed to catch up or anything! It's just to get whatever required classes out of the way earlier so yeah...**

 **Anyways, we have finally moved away from Japan to Italy! And then, uh... well, Dino and the Varia will be making more appearances yay :D But it looks like the Varia's in a pinch hehe**

 **Thanks to** _Aichi1827, Suoh Mikaze , AiraAura, MoonlightStar, DraacoClaye, TheSilverHunt3r, Sora Rider X, Yuki, Jupiter27, yola1996acuario, SakuraKoi, Nella Moonblood Royalle, KaguyaAmaterasu, thor94, vampireharry the 2, sousie, D C JoKeR H S, Chew Chew, Maria Aizabelle373, bLuewErewOlf25, Rainbowpanther, Bochord of Leaspell, PhantomCielo27, Kacchan23, Allusive Ryder, Yona0 , YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**

 **P.S. No pairings. Purely familial interactions and that's final.**


	33. Varia

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Squalo, for once in his life, wasn't sure whether or not this was a good idea. I mean, instead of getting reinforcements from Vongola itself...

... He got a bunch of kiddies.

One apparently related to Vongola (as much as Squalo didn't want to believe it but - the face, damn it, _the face_ \- the brat was too similar to Vongola Primo that if Squalo didn't know better, he would think the brunet to be the _actual son_ of said Founder that was somehow involved in some complicated time-travel paradox sh** - okay, face), another one unknown, and the third from a neutral faction.

... This line up was definitely not what he had in mind and - _f***_ , he couldn't believe he was _rolling_ with this.

But he gotta say, they were _miracle workers_. Or to be more specific, the Primo-lookalike was.

"Tsuna." Enma shook to get the boy's attention after they finally stopped. "It's been an _hour_ since you manually used your Intuition."

The other grimaced. "That's gonna be _fun_."

Squalo was amazed at the fact that the brat can even _do_ that with Vongola's Hyper Intuition and _f***_ , it only took them _an hour_ to find where the Trabia was keeping his team captured. Obviously, it wouldn't be at their own base since the building has long been busted because of - well, _Xanxus_. So the moment they arrived en route, the place was empty and Squalo had been cursing... until Tsuna told them to follow him.

Byakuran rattled a bottle of medicine in hand and cheerfully pipped, "I prepared aspirins!"

"Funny," Enma chuckled and pulled out a bottle of his own - and of the same brand. "So did I."

"Right," Tsuna tossed an eye-roll at his two friends' antics. Even back in their original world, everyone closed to Tsuna would _always_ carry a bottle of aspirins on their person just in case Tsuna's Intuition acted up. (Tsuna was more or less exasperated at how prepared they were but that's more of a reason why Tsuna cherished them all the same.) "Since I have a time-limit... Blitzkrieg?"

"Show up right on their steps and bulldoze their door?" Enma asked for the specifics as he blinked his eyes like the ignorant, civilized child he was.

Squalo wanted to say something about that twinkling mischief in Enma's eyes, but he paused and swallowed those words back down his throat. He thought himself crazy when the image of Reborn was the first thing that popped into his mind. (Well, Squalo can't be blamed for thinking so. After all, Enma also went through training under the Satan at some point in time.)

"Aw..." Byakuran pouted in disappointment. "You could've told me earlier! I would've prepared _marshmallow bombs_!"

"We're already two Skies, one Earth, and a Rain," Tsuna deadpanned. "Shouldn't we at least spare them _some_ sanity for their troubles?"

Yup. Squalo was liking these kiddies.

* * *

Xanxus has been brooding in his holding cell, flames neutralized, when it had happened. It started with a quiet night - too quiet for Xanxus's liking - then with a - _**boom!** _ \- and shouts and gunfire filled the chilling air above ground. It was music to his ears but he wondered what the hell was happening up there.

"Shishishi," Belphegor grinned creepily from the adjacent cell. "Sounds like a party."

"Jeez, and they didn't even invite us." Lussuria pouted in cell next to Levi and across Belphegor.

Xanxus snorted and looked into the cell across from him, where the Mist Arcobaleno was held in place by those sparkly sh**. "How are you holding, trash."

Mammon allowed himself a sigh and leaded against the wall. "I never anticipated that they have _those_ prepared." There was a glint under his hood as he continued. "They're going to pay an enormous sum once I get through with them."

Xanxus didn't hide the sneer on his face. He couldn't agree more to the Arcobaleno's statement. The moment they bust out of here, the Varia was going to have a party - Varia-style. But for now, they needed to wait for -

"VOIIIII! WHERE THE F*** ARE YOU, STUPID BOSS?!"

Xanxus scowled, but then morphed into confusion because it had only been a _day_ since Squalo went back for reinforcement. He couldn't have gotten to Venice _that_ quickly right? Although he was confident of his Elements, he was skeptical that they could make the distance from the Sicily province all the way to the mainland of Italy within a day and then back. (Maybe when Squalo wasn't wreathed injuries, sure, he might entertain the idea but -)

 ** _Wham!_**

The door to the dungeon they were in slammed open with a kick courtesy of one Superbi Squalo.

Although the lights were dimmed, the Varia could all see Squalo up and about and in tip-top shape with a glint of something closed to _glee_ in his eyes and _what the hell's going on?!_

"Trash," Xanxus growled. "What are you doing here?"

"Saving all your sorry a**es," Squalo barked back as he readied his sword-arm to slice up the holding cells to his team. More explosions and cries of pain came from upstairs, making Squalo curse.

They would have thought that the situation wasn't good at their end if not for Squalo's next set of words. "F*** it, we're missing out on a good show if we stay here any longer."

"What are you talking about?" Levi spoke up, brows furrowed while Squalo sliced up each holding cell, broke the flame-neutralizing handcuffs that were forced onto them. That was what everyone else had one their mind and Xanxus was getting annoyed at the lack of explanations.

"Trash, start explaining or -"

"Ne~" Xanxus and his still-in-the-dark crew stared as a white-haired brat with a creepy grin poked his head through the entrance. "I thought you said it was going to be quick _Squa-chan_."

The Varia were struck dumb, though the leader recovered quickly with a bark of laughter, who was then followed by the others. (Xanxus decided that he like the creepy-smiling brat.)

"Voooiiii what the f***?!" Squalo, on the other hand, pointed a sword at the kid, a vein throbbing on his head in anger. "I dare you to call me that again!"

"Squa-chan~!"

"VOOOIIII!" Squalo dropped what he was doing (Belphegor could free the rest since Xanxus wasn't going to lift a finger) and attempted to give the boy a piece of his mind. "I'm going to f***ing skewer you stupid little brat!"

"Hehe," The boy snickered and dodged a sword swing before _sprouting f***ing angel wings._ The Varia was, again, thrown for the second time because that wasn't _f***ing possible._

However, just as sudden as he flew in the air, he crashed down just the same. "Owie... En-chaaaann...!"

"One, it's _Enma_ to you." Another brat came into view, albeit far older than the first, and made an eye roll. "And two, I think you have enough fun as it is, Byakuran." He then shifted his gaze towards the Varia, a hint of a smile on his face. "Nice to see you all, now if you would all follow us out, Tsuna pretty much had it all handled."

"But he's f***ing _scrawny!_ " Squalo couldn't help but spluttered incredulously while everyone followed Enma and Byakuran out.

"Oh no, it's not what you think." Enma quipped, the cheerful tone in his voice was... disarming. "He's only beating up the boss and the representatives from other famiglias."

Squalo opened his mouth, paused, tried again, but his voice was still not coming out.

"What the f***'s going on?!" Xanxus's patience finally ran out and send a furious glare in his Rain's direction. "Are these brats even f***ing Vongola?!"

"No we're not~" Byakuran helpfully inputted. "I'm a Gesso!"

The Varia - minus Squalo - just _stared_.

"Rude," Byakuran huffed, indignant and offended, crossing his arms. "Just because I'm nine doesn't mean I can't run an entire Famiglia!"

"Byakuran," Enma shot Byakuran a matter-of-fact look. "You're not normal."

"Says the pot calling the kettle black~"

The redhead groaned and walked even faster into the lobby. "I don't know why I hang out with you. _At all._ "

"Hehe," Byakuran continued with his teasing. "Like Tsu-chan said, 'birds of a feather flock together' - oh, Tsu-chan -"

 ** _Crack..._**

Byakuran's smile froze as he saw a certain brunet punch the wall with his gloved hand while the other held a letter of some sort. The air suddenly felt too tight and difficult to breath in at the moment when the murderous aura penetrated the atmosphere - hell, the lighting seemed to have been affected as well because it was flickering between bright and dull.

Xanxus raised a brow, somewhat impressed at the killing intent being emitted by the scrawny brunet in front of them. If he was any lesser person, then he would have buckled under the pressure already. He took his time to look around and realized that the two brats that was with them hadn't been as affected as well. Though judging from their expressions, they weren't exactly... _fine_. (Why did they seem so nervous?)

"Tsuna."

"Hm?" The tension seemed snapped like a high-tension string at the call, and everything became light again. (Xanxus was, again, impressed that the brat could control his aura so well.) "Oh, hey guys!"

The moment he turned around, Xanxus might or might not have cursed and his team - minus Squalo - might or might not have let out a strange sound of surprise. The cause was justifiable though, because the f***ing brat resembled so much like the Vongola Founder, hairstyle and all (minus the hair color), that it was _creepy_.

When sunset-orange eyes met with Xanxus's red ones, the former was filled with a strange _relief_ that the latter couldn't decipher the reason for. Then his gaze swept through each and every one of them present as if to make sure there weren't any injuries.

"I see that it went smoothly." The brat commented tersely before gesturing for them to follow him out of the office room they had entered just minutes prior. "Come, they're waiting for their punishment."

"You left them unattended?" Enma said casually instead of reprimanding the brunet's lack of responsibility.

The brunet send the other an indifferent glance. "It's not like they're going to - or rather, _can_ run away."

"Oh god," The redhead almost stumbled when he tried to catch up with his friend. "You... was it even _necessary_?"

"Well," The brunet looked as though he was carefully picking his words. "I mean, you weren't there to continue pinning them down with gravity so... I took some liberties. Besides," He momentarily slowed his pace, eyes narrowing in what Xanxus deemed to be anger.

"They were annoying."

Yup, anger.

"Brat," Xanxus voiced, restraining his amusement from appearing in his tone. The brunet looked over his shoulder at him, waiting for the other to continue. "Who are you and what's your relationship with Vongola?"

The teen frowned slightly as if he wasn't sure if what he was going to say next was a good idea. "... Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"..." Xanxus stopped in his tracks, the name - or at least the surname - clicked with something in his mind. His eyes flickered in disdain. "The f*** - you're related to the idiot and his wimpy son?"

"Hey!" Byakuran protested, skipping to his feet and walked backwards so he could face Xanxus. "Tsu-chan is _nothing_ like Iemitsu and Ienari!"

"It's fine, Shiro."

"But it's getting _old_ , Tsuna." Enma retorted, not at all pleased as well that his friend was being grouped with that father of his.

"You guys..." Tsuna groaned in fond exasperation. "Why are you two angry when I'm not?"

"We're angry _for_ you~" Byakuran piped, plopping a marshmallow in his mouth.

"Okay, stop," Tsuna declared. "We're digressing again and it's _not_ helping. So, Xanxus, to answer your question, yes, Sawada Iemitsu's my father and Ienari's my younger twin."

That didn't clear Xanxus's mind. Now there was a - "You're the _older_ one?"

There was nothing written in the Vongola records about Iemitsu having _twins_. Hell, if the brunet was the older one then wouldn't that mean -

"I have been out of commission for seven years." Tsuna answered nonchalantly as if he was talking about the weather. "Vongola probably thinks I'm dead or that I don't exist in the first place."

Blindsided, the Varia barely kept from tripping over themselves. Okay, they were ruthless, but damn, they weren't completely _heartless_.

" _What?_ " Xanxus seethed. He wasn't sure what he was getting angry for, since this was Iemitsu's spawn and he hated the CEDEF head to the guts. Iemitsu may be competent in his field of work but that's _it_ , there was nothing else worth complimenting about the blonde.

Tsuna cast them a glance before a blanket of _Sky_ settled on them, soothing the unease they were all feeling. (Xanxus belatedly realized that the brat was a Sky - and a damn strong one at that.) "Let's leave that for another day. Mammon, how are you feeling?"

Said Mist blinked in start under his hood - not that anyone noticed. "I'm fine."

The brunet frowned but didn't dwell on the subject because they have arrived at the lobby. What they - mainly the Vaira - saw left them stunned. The room was, of course, littered with mafiosi and there were several holes in the walls but what was shocking was the fact that they were all _frozen_ from shoulder to toes.

Xanxus swallowed because he wasn't unfamiliar with this type of _not_ -ice. They were -

"Zero Point Breakthrough: First Edition." Tsuna helpfully supplied to Xanxus's unvoiced thoughts.

"S-Sir!" One of the mafiosi stuttered, expression that of pleading when he saw the brunet. "We won't go against Vongola anymore - I swear! So - so please, I beg of you, could you -"

"Please release us!"

"I want to pee!"

Several of the scared mafiosi were now voicing their defeat and their... pledge of loyalty towards Tsuna (though that last one was an exception), but the brunet didn't deign them a response. Instead, he turned towards the Varia with an indifferent expression, gesturing towards the mass. "I'm in no position to deal with the grudges between you guys so do as you like," He paused before pointing to a specific man among the crowd of rowdy mafiosi. "Except that one. I need to speak with him about... certain things that I found."

Xanxus was the first to respond after a pregnant silence. He snorted and folded his arms across his chest. "They're not worth my time if they received a beat down by a scrawny brat."

"Shishishi," Belphegor twirled a knife. "Since the boss said it like that... they're really not worth this Prince's time either."

"Boss is always right." Levi announced indubitably.

"Muu," Mammon's mouth twisted into a revengeful smirk. "They're still going to pay a fee."

An amused smile tugged at Tsuna's lips before his expression stiffened and slowly twisted into that of pain. "Dammit."

"Aspirins!" Byakuran chirped immediately after noticing the signs. He fished out a bottle, shook out a few pills into a distracted Tsuna's palm. The brunet mustered a grateful smile before swallowing the medicine. Although the sharp headache didn't levitate immediately and completely, it still lessen enough for Tsuna to think straight.

As that was happening, Enma took the liberty of snatching the letter that Tsuna had been holding. When he skimmed through it, though, his face darkened and a similar aura closed to the one Tsuna released a while ago came out to oppressed the occupants of the room. "I see why you weren't as forgiving towards these guys now."

"... Mm." Tsuna lightly nodded his head, then made a face of disapproval. "A breach of the mafia law. I suppose they haven't caught the Vindice's attention yet."

Xanxus, curious, stole the paper from Enma - the latter didn't mind; instead, he was scanning the lobby with narrowed eyes filled with a rare appearance of cold disdain.

"Xanxus, don't burn it," Tsuna warned sternly when he noticed the changes in the Wrath's mood. "It's evidence against them."

" _F***ing hell_. They were going to f***ing ship _me and my team_ off to be used as _experiments_ and force my Mist into a compromised alliance with them?" Xanxus, in a fit of anger, guffawed. The unrestrained laughter expressed his rage and complete scorn for these mafiosi. "Brat, I take my words back. They're _done_."

Tsuna only had one comment for that as he, Enma, and Bykuran approached the man he was going to question.

"Spare their lives if you can help it."

While the Varia was now letting loose their Varia-styled party in the background, Tsuna approached the frightened man in the corner of the room. "Francisco Rossi, I presume?"

"Y-yes." The man spoke weakly. Under the authoritative pressure that Tsuna was exuding, he felt like a scared little lamb at the moment of its death.

If Byakuran provided the correct details, then Carcassa was one of the famiglias that allied themselves with the Tartaugas _and_ they also openly participated in attacks against Vongola. Since Tsuna had already gone this far, he might as well pull some weeds by their roots while he was at it. Besides, he needed to take Skull out of that godforsaken place. (The Cloud Arcobaleno - in his world - might not show it but he didn't take pride in being part of the Carcassa. He was _forced_.)

Now, it would be even more convenient if he could contact the Vindice...

"You're going to take us into your Famiglia's territory," A too bright of a smile tugged at Tsuna's lips as he practically commanded. "And you're going to introduce us to your Don, understand?"

The representative from the Carcassa Famgilia was only able to squeak a compliance, too unnerved at the curve of Tsuna's mouth and the scary sparkles the boy seemed to be emitting. (It didn't exactly help his pride much when a teenager of no older than sixteen had that kind of effect on him.)

* * *

"You're infiltrating the Carcassas?" Xanxus inquired dubiously, leaving the rubble that had once been the back up manor of the Trabia Famiglia. He had overheard the plan that the fluffy-haired brat laid out for the other two brats. Now, he wasn't doubting their capabilities - at least not the brunet's - but still, three against the whole - oh wait, the Gesso brat's got an entire famgilia behind his back.

"Huh?" The brunet piped, looking none the wiser. "We're not infiltrating."

Xanxus blinked. Then what the hell was -

The brat grinned widely, showing his set of teeth. "We're _storming_ it."

Xanxus stared for several long seconds before barking out a laugh. The Primo-brat was amusing at the very least.

"Can I use the marshmallow bombs?" The white haired kid looked imploringly towards the brunet. The Varia leader found it strange that the Gesso brat was asking Sawada Tsunayoshi for permission, but he supposed it showed that the brat had the quality of a... leader? He wasn't sure if being the leader of a bunch of kiddies counted - then again, the other Sawada-brat was also the leader of a bunch of useless kiddies (himself included).

Vongloa needed a strong leader, especially now. And since the Sky Ring didn't accept him as its owner, then Xanxus would have to use other means to make sure Vognola stays afloat. He may hate his adopted father for many reasons, but Vongola was his home, the one Family that he grew up in. Xanxus refuse to see it's downfall during his lifetime. (It could fall after he dies for all he cares, but not when he's still alive and kicking.)

"Since when did you even developed them?" The apparently older Sawada-brat asked the Gesso incredulously.

"Better yet," The redhead brat added in. "Since when did you even _thought_ of that?"

"Hehe, you know those bombs that explode out smoke upon breaking?" The kid all too happily explained, and proudly at that. "It's that but instead of smoke, it's a flood of marshmallows!"

Xanxus had the image of a building over flooding with sugary white treats. He quickly shook the image away, the Gesso brat couldn't possibly have -

"Shiro, if you do that, how are we going to move around?" The brunet inquired skeptically.

"We can burn them up and make s'mores!"

The redhead also voiced his doubt. "But where are you going to get so many chocolates and crackers?"

\- Wait, they were taking this seriously? Sh**, they actually have _that_ many of those fluffy sh**s?

"This is Byakuran we're talking about," The Primo-brat reading his thoughts was _creepy_. "It's possible."

"Trash," Xanxus snarled. "How are you doing that?"

"... Your face..."

Xanxus resisted the urge to facepalm. Had he been that obvious with his thoughts?

"Yeah."

"What. The. _F***._ " Xanxus was getting weird out. There was only one person he knew that could read people as though he could read minds, and that was _Reborn_. This brat's only _sixteen_ and -

"I _do_ have Vongola's Hyper Intuition." The brat supplied helpfully.

\- Well, that would make more sense but Xanxus still glared at the kid. "That's f***ed up Trash, Vongola's Hyper Intuition has never been that strong."

"Then you have never met Primo," The brunet retorted with an eye roll. The attitude should have hit one of Xanxus's landmines, but surprisingly, the brunet haven't found himself with a pair of X-guns at point-blank yet. (Xanxus didn't realize it then, but he was quickly familiarizing himself with the brunet and the latter's vast Sky was just as quickly taking him under its wings.)

"Because he's six feet under, Trash." Xanxus, instead, retorted.

"True, but he and his guardians' _Wills_ are residing within the Vongola Rings as we speak."

What. The Varia leader stopped in his tracks. He never heard of that before and how the hell was the Primo-brat more knowledgeable of these things when Xanxus had grew up in Vongola while the other had been... a civilian?

"What's wrong Xanxus?" The brunet asked when Xanxus seemed to be boring a hole into the other's head.

"Trash," His eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Who are you, really. You know information that the entire Vongola echelon doesn't when you should've been a _civilian_." He also wondered why the brat was calling his name so easily and familiarly without a hint of fear as if they have know each other for _years_ , but he pushed that thought into the back of his head for later. He needed to know if the kid was friend or foe.

The brunet looked up in thought before flashing a grin. Xanxus had to blink to check if there weren't sparkles. "All you need to know is that I won't let Vongola fall in the time that I'm here."

(Absentmindedly, Xanxus wondered why that sentence sounded so strange.)

"Oi, Tsuna," The redhead bonked his friend on the head playfully. Xanxus sensed awakened flames within that brat too but it was a type he wasn't familiar with. It was similar to that of a Sky but there was a more... _Earthly_ feel to it and Xanxus didn't know how to make heads or tail with that because as far as he knew, there had only been _seven_ type of flames plus one unknown used exclusively by the Vindice. "Are we heading to the Carassa territory now, or wait till tomorrow morning?"

The two were similar, Xanxus noticed, in how they carried themselves with confidence and decisiveness. The redhead may not look dangerous now, but Xanxus's intuition-developed-through-experience told him that he was on par with the Primo-brat.

Said Primo-brat furrowed his brows for the briefest second before coming to a decision. (Quick and decisive, Xanxus noted.) "Who's up for an all-nighter?"

Enma grinned. "Who said it's going to take all night?"

"It's already midnight." The brunet shot back pointedly. "Shiro's still nine."

"I don't have a bedtime!" The Gesso pouted childishly. Honestly, if Xanxus haven't heard - hadn't _seen_ \- of how the Gesso Famiglia had crushed its enemies one by one, he wouldn't have believe the kid could even put up a decent fight.

"You _should_." The other said sternly, narrowing his eyes onto the white haired kid. Said kid clamped up but from the way he folded his arms in protest, the brat wasn't backing down.

"... Fine." Primo-brat gave up by tossing his hands up in the air and sighing. He turned to the mafioso by the name of Francisco and smiled at the trash. Xanxus didn't understand why they haven't tied the man up in case he escaped or attack them, but the Primo-brat had confidently declared that Francisco wouldn't do either.

Xanxus didn't know whether the brat was a fool for thinking of that or just that confident.

" Francisco, you don't mind, do you?"

The man blinked blankly, as if in deep thought, before nodding... _wholeheartedly_ in reply. "Of course, Tsunayoshi-sama! I'll definitely get us in even if I have to risk my life!"

Xanxus raised a brow. He had seen how the man's eyes had lit up when the Primo-brat announced that Francisco wouldn't do this or that and hence, giving the dubious enemy his unconditional trust, but he didn't think much of it... till now.

Sh**, did Francisco just turned rogue? And it happened _just_ because the Primo-brat gave him his unconditional trust and - and _what the hell?!_

Xnaxus narrowed his eyes at the man in suspicion. Of course he wasn't one to believe the words of an _enemy_. "Trash, if you -"

"Xanxus, it's fine," The brat interrupted with a pleasant smile. "He's telling the truth."

"How -"

"Intuition, remember?"

"..." Xanxus was seriously contemplating whether he should crack open the brunet's head to check how authentic was the Vongola Intuition.

"However," The brat turned towards Francisco. "You don't have to go that far. It would be fine if you just show us to their doorstep."

Francisco adamantly shook his head. "I never really liked how my Famiglia did their business anyways. They always relied on the fact that they have an Arcobaleno on their side."

At the mention of 'Arcobaleno', Mammon looked in Francisco's direction while the Primo-brat narrowed his eyes. "About that Francisco... do you know anything regarding the aforementioned Arcobaleno?"

* * *

Tsuna discover this group of Varia to be less... rowdy from the one he remembered. It was something new and definitely something he found difficult to adjust to because, well, they were the _Varia_.

The Varia did whatever they like, whenever they like. Tsuna found their recklessness tiring at times, but he wouldn't have it any other way because that's how his family was like.

"Trash, what are you staring at?" Xanxus growled in annoyance. The Varia had announced that they were going to come along with Tsuna and his friends - well, Xanxus did and the rest of his team went along with whatever their boss decided like it was a given - because the Carcassa was also an enemy of Vongola.

"Nothing," Tsuna answered back, turning his head towards the lights coming from a building off in the forest somewhere closed to the harbor city of Messina. "You're just not all like I remembered, is all."

Xanxus shot him a questioning look, making Tsuna realize he had mumbled his thoughts out loud again. He smiled apologetically at the Varia leader but didn't explain himself because it wouldn't matter anyways.

Tsuna pulled on his leather gloves, then swallowed the pills that he was told to take every time he would use his flames the moment they arrived right in from of the mansion that housed the Carcassa Family. (They had bypassed security thanks to Mammon's illusion covering them and entered without alarming anyone within vicinity.)

Enma entered into Hyper Dying Will mode, stepping forth in front of the group to blast the door open with a vertical application of gravity. The double doors flew off its hinges with a loud **_bam_** , thereby alerting the residence of the mansion that there was an intruder.

Tsuna went into Hyper Dying Will mode right afterwards, his sunset-orange gaze swept across the lobby as mafiosi was already starting to gather and pointing weapons at them.

"Is the Carcassa Don in?" Tsuna all but demanded. Though, as expected, the enemy treated his words as a signal to fire their guns. The brunet didn't bother to dodge any one of them, making the Varia move to get their own weapons out. However, they soon found it unnecessary when Enma called upon gravity spheres that reroute the bullets towards the ceiling. They hit the fancy chandelier right above, causing it to - **_Crash!_ ** \- fall into the empty space between them and the Carcassa.

Silence reigned over them all after that, all of those who haven't a clue as to what the two sixteen-year-olds were capable of were stunned silent.

That didn't last long when people came in through the door they blasted apart and started shooting from the behind. Tsuna narrowed his eyes and turned to call up a thin veil of Sky flames to block the bullets while Enma used this time to press them all into the ground with a gravity field.

(The fact that in created a crater on the floor spoke volumes of how strong the gravity was within that certain area of effect.)

Byakuran had watched all of this with a bag of marshmallows in hand while Xanxus and his crew were torn between impressed and shocked. The Varia had thought the brats to be strong, but not to this extend. Did they secretly take steroids or something when they weren't looking?!

"Let me ask again and this time, don't try any funny business." Tsuna's gaze was strict and stern as he turned back to the mafiosi in the front. It seemed to have the effect of making them shrink like some chastised children, which was _weird_. "Is the Carcassa Don in?"

"What's going on?!" Everyone looked up the stairs to find three men rushing down the stairs. Tsuna's gaze landed on the one in he middle, his Intuition already informing him that it was the guy he was looking for.

"Manzo Carcassa I presume?" Tsuna faintly remembered the man from his past, but the only reason he even bothered to was because he learned that the man had forced a contract onto Skull - and an unreasonable one at that. He wouldn't have mind it so much if both parties assented to it... but it wasn't. Moreover, the Cloud Arcobaleno had been repeatedly treated as the scapegoat for the Carcassa whenever the Family got in trouble.

Tsuna's thoughts stopped at this point, unwilling to make himself angry any further lest the mansion burned down to the ground in flames.

"Who..." The auburn haired man trailed off the moment his gaze landed on the Varia. His expression took on one of sneer. "What business does the _Vongola_ have with little ol' me?"

The way Manzo voiced it was enough to ruffle the Varia's feathers, particularly Xanxus. It was as though the man didn't take Vongola into his eyes anymore and that was _unacceptable_ -

Tsuna held an arm up in front of Xanxus before he could step forward and start an early war with the Carcassas. The Varia leader glared at the brunet, but Tsuna merely returned it with a cool look - however, when he looked closely, Xanxus saw fury burning in sunset-orange.

Unfortunately, Manzo misinterpreted this silent interaction so he decided that it was a good idea to add oil to flames. "To think that the only hope Vongola has left would actually stand down because of a _child_. Really, all of you must have turned into idiots." He sighed with a shake of his head. "A pity too, I wouldn't have mind taking the Varia from under Vongola's nose."

There came a crisp sound of something snapping echoing in the lobby.

" **Ne~** " Although Tsuna looked up at the Carcassa at the stairs, it was as though he was looking _down_. His dangerously sweet smile made Enma and Byauran pity the Carcassas' luck. "It's not because they're idiots. It's because they actually have self-preservation skills -" Tsuna _sneered_. "- unlike _some_ imbeciles."

"What." Manzo narrowed his eyes at the brunet, offended that a mere _child_ was insulting him.

"Oh? Are you deaf?" Tsuna raised a brow without skipping a beat, then looked quite concern. "Oh my, you must be getting on in your ages if your hearing is failing you." One thing Tsuna remembered was that Manzo Carcassa was sensitiveness about his age. Because although he looked to be in his sixties, the man's actual age was somewhere within the _forties_. Luckily for him, it was still the same in this world so Tsuna was going to exploit that to its fullest.

Hence, he continued as he clicked his tongue in pity, much to his companions amusement. "Please, do be careful walking down the stairs, _Signore_. Who knows when your legs may fail you and there would be an 'accident'."

"You.." Manzo pointed, hand shaking in anger. "Watch your mouth brat!"

"I'm just concern for your health, nothing more," Tsuna had blinked so innocently that the listeners - mainly the Carcassa mafiosi - was having trouble discerning whether or not it was supposed to be a taunt. "Though... only _idiotas_ would make a fuss over of nothing."

Tsuna took a pause here, looking up in thought before eyes widening in an eureka moment and then snapping his head back towards Manzo. " _Signore_ Carcassa! Could it be that you've gone _senile_ that you're becoming an _ignoramus_?!"

The corner of Enma's lips twitched at Tsuna's sarcasm but the Varia and Byakuran didn't bothered to be polite. They laughed. Hard. Hell, Byakuran was rolling on the floor by now.

"Why are you guys laughing?" Tsuna gave his friends an odd look but the amusement twinkling in sunset-orange orbs said otherwise. "This is serious business!"

"Brat..." Manzo was beyond the point of anger when no other words left his throat. He glanced at his men before bellowing a command. "Kill them! Kill them all!"

Tsuna clicked his tongue once more, shaking his head in mock disappointment while Enma chuckled lightly in amusement. "Idiots indeed."

A fight more or less broke out after that, which the Varia welcomed with glee. Tsuna, though, aimed directly for the boss within the chaos of gunfire, shouts and explosions. The man had been about to light a ring - one of the early ones in development - when Tsuna appeared in front of him in all his Hyper Dying Will glory.

"Let's get down to business shall we?" Tsuna grinned. He then caught the bullets that was meant for his skull by the two bodyguard flanking at Manzo's sides. His gloved hands alight with Sky flames and the bullets were ground into dust. He then socked both bodyguards in the guts, sending them rolling down to the bottom of the stairs.

Manzo was badly shocked by the teen who he had looked down upon just moments prior. Was a kid _supposed_ to be this strong? And the brat was a Sky?!

Now, Manzo may have been easily played by Tsuna but he was still a mafia don. So, his line of thoughts were: _If I can control this brat, then the Carcassa would be even more better off!_

Unfortunately for him, Tsuna was once trained by the World's Greatest Hitman - and add in his Intuition... the former Vongola Decimo was qualified to be a _genuine_ mind reader. So when Carcassa had that ugly smile on his face, Tsuna chillingly cut him off before he could speak.

"Don't even bother, I don't work for idiots." Tsuna narrowed his eyes, his aura skyrocketing to the point that Manzo found it hard to _breath_ and had him buckling. "I'll be brief. One, your contract with the Cloud Arcobaleno. Break it." Upon the uncooperative look he received, Tsuna was all the more willing to add more incentives,." **Before I break you.** "

Mazno's eyes widened, but again, he couldn't respond back under Tsuna's dangerous pressure.

"Second, give me all the information you have on your alliance." Tsuna continue. His voice authoritative even though it wasn't loud. Manzo saw that some of his men noticed his predicament and tried to shoot off flame-induced bullets at the brunet. He would've smirked if it hadn't been for - "Natsu."

"Gao!" Something lit up in Tsuna's pocket. The ball of light flew up and perched onto his shoulder before it transformed into a _flaming lion cub_. Said creature let out a mighty roar that resounded throughout the hall, causing everyone to fall silent and stare incredulously at the now petrified bullets on the ground.

"Third," Tsuna continued, not at all bothered by what's going on. It was only now that everyone else took notice of the presence that had themselves feeling fear crawling into their hearts belonging to the once unassuming boy. Tsuna's glowing orange eyes were more prominent now than ever as he grabbed Manzo by the collar of his shirt. **"You've long since crossed the damn line, Carcassa. I want your f***ing familgia to disband by morning.** "

* * *

 **I was _thiiiiis_ close to turn the Varia into cute little kids too (minus Mammon of course) so that there will be a Kid-Xanxus, Kid-Squalo, or Kid-Varia in general, running around like Byakuran. But then I realize it would contradict the timeline I started out with so that went down the drain.**

 **Then we have Tsuna's sharp tongue and him flipping out when his buttons are pushed (accidentally).**

 **Thanks to** _LittleSnowChild, Little Ms. Pumpkin, CiaoKawaiirina, KK, Aira Aura, minerbbi , Nari. , Starbeam, starlightyuki, Yuki, Lalalu, Kitani, OtakuLife121, doremishine itsuko, PhantomCielo27, sousie, vampireharry the 2, D C JoKeR H S, Niknok19, TechGirl143, leafpool5, Bathory Peverell, SakuraKoi, Woezy, wildcat1144, TheSilverHunt3r, JustSome01, Chew Chew, twilightserius, angelaneahwalker, thor94, Shiroshi.2, yola1996acuario, DraacoClaye, Lunapok, Yona0, Neko1290YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	34. Efficiency

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Stunned silence swept across the lobby when Tsuna voiced his last demand - no, it was an _edict_ \- in a clear and commanding tone. It left them scared witless because there was a split second where they were actually considering _following_ Tsuna's ridiculous demand.

That was when Skull finally entered the scene, riding his custom-made motorcycle, after receiving the emergency call from the Carcassa. He had been reluctant, since he was in the middle of a stunt, but had to when it came to orders from the Carcassa. (Who told him to blindly agree to that contract?)

"Hey, hey, what's..." The Cloud Arcobaleno trailed when he sensed the tight tension in the room. "... going... on...?"

"S-Skull!" Manzo had somewhat managed to regain his bearing when Skull came. "Don't just stand there! Help me!"

"Wha..." Skull was stunned at the sight of his boss at the mercy of... of a teenager? He was starting to wonder if he had done too many stunts that he was hallucinating absurd scenes.

"Watch your tone," Tsuna gave the man a warning glare. "You don't just disrespect an Arcobaleno like that."

Skull immediately froze, eyes blinking owlishly even though no one could see because of his helmet, half because the boy knew about the Acrobalenos and half realizing the boy was actually _defending_ him.

"Cloud Arcobaleno," Tsuna's voice brought Skull back from his reverie. "Tell me the truth. Were you or were you not forced into a contract with Manzo Carcassa."

"Uh..." Skull stammered, looking between Tsuna and Manzo. His contract shouldn't have been known by anyone but between Manzo and himself. It was kept a well-guarded secret so how did the boy know - unless... the boy was a skilled hacker?

When he once more made eye contact with Manzo, he swallowed. Skull knew he couldn't say the truth -

"You can't lie." Tsuna stared down at the Cloud Arcobaleno with a steel-hard gaze. "I know when people lie."

Now Skull was tongue-tied. If he can't lie, then what else could he do? His contract strictly told him that he wasn't to disobey the Carcassa for as long as he was alive and Manzo just send him a look that told him to -

"Skull," Another voice entered. Said Arcobaleno turned to his right to find another boy but with red hair and compass-pupil red eyes. He knelt down next to the infant stuntman and smiled gently. "Are you happy with the Carcassa Famiglia?"

Skull looked down, pondering over the answer even if he knew it already. (How could he be happy to have another person controlling over his life?)

"Skull-san," Tsuna said again, gaze softening. "One word will be enough to decide your freedom." He paused before adding, "... and the existence of the Carcassa Famiglia."

Those who heard shuddered and wanted to believe that the brunet was bluffing. However, with how things were turning out, and how _assertive_ Tsuna had voiced everything... they were leaning more towards Tsuna actually had the ability to back up his words.

Skull may not know who these people were - maybe except the Vongolas - but he was still moved that they were _helping_ him. He may not be an anomalous Cloud but he was still a Cloud; therefore, he preferred not to be tied down by anything. He was just too much of a wimp at the time when the Carcassa came to him, and he was take advantage of.

The infant stuntman sucked in a breath before looking directly into Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes. "Forced. I was forced into the contract."

Tsuna beamed approvingly at Skull while Manzo was torn between horror and anger. "You traitorous bast -"

Tsuna's aura doubled onto Manzo, causing the latter to involuntarily clamp his mouth. "Now, now, there are _children_ in the room so your vulgarity is not welcomed."

He ignored the fact he just heard Squalo cursed out loud despite his above scolding. (Tsuna was _so_ not bias thank you very much.)

"Since it was not recognized by both sides," Tsuna returned his gaze back onto Manzo, sunset-oranges hardening once more. "The contract between you and Skull-san is hereby null and void."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Manzo hissed, trying to struggle free but Tsuna's grip seemed to be made of steel.

"Who I am is not important," Tsuna answered coolly. "But this is the end off..." He trailed and momentarily shifted his gaze somewhere else. "Actually, on second thought, I shouldn't blame the _entire_ Family for the don's actions."

He smiled when he found Francisco Rossi, coming to a decision right there and then. "Francisco-san, you'll be in charge of running the Carcassa Famgilia from now on."

Said man gaped in disbelief, but he wasn't the only one. It was just so ridiculous that sixteen-year-old teen with unknown background was forcing a don to step down and blatantly appointed someone else as the head in the next second, _but it was happening right now and **what the hell?!**_

Enma and Byakuran were the only two that wasn't bothered by this.

Tsuna smiled gently down at Francisco. "I dare say you won't disappoint me Francisco?"

The man snapped out of his daze and closed his mouth before he could catch a fly. He sucked in a deep breath before giving Tsuna an resolute look, coupled with a salute. "I'll do my best Tsunayoshi-sama and we'll repay Vongola for blessing us with their mercy!"

Tsuna only responded back with a pleasant nod.

"So... we're done here?" Enma inquired.

"After we get the information we need," Tsuna confirmed. He started to drag the now helpless Manzo up the stairs towards the office. "Stay put and be on the look out."

.

.

.

Enma closed his eyes, focusing on that feeling of completion and hoping that it hadn't disappeared yet since the time he checked the moment he woke up in this world. When he felt the quivering but warm connection, he sighed in relief. Good, he wasn't sure exactly sure what was going to happen but at least -

"Brat."

Enma looked towards Xanxus while Francisco started to round up the Carcassa with Skull and Byakuran helping (no, not really) him. He observed the Wrath for several long seconds before gesturing for him to continue.

"What. The the hell _was_ that."

Enma blinked. What was - _oh_. He grinned. "Tsuna always did have that kind of charisma about him."

"He f***ing turned the _entire Carcassa Familigia into an ally_ ," Xanxus deadpanned, then added more to make his point. "In a _single night_."

" _Plausible_ ally," Enma corrected with a chuckle. "But if they can show that they have no ill intentions against Vongola - which I'll doubt they'll be having anytime soon - then yeah, ally."

Xanxus gave Enma a look which the latter return with a helpless shrug. Some things were just needed to be accepted for what they were. That was something Enma learned after coming into contact with Vongla.

"Anyways," The former Simon Don went back on topic. "Tsuna has a knack of drawing people in. Be it ally or enemy. I guess that's what an all-encompassing Sky is capable of."

He smirked at Xanxus. "To tell you the truth, I used to be an enemy too."

"What." The Wrath was skeptical, after all, Enma and Tsuna had acted more like best friends - _brothers_ even - than anything else.

"Well," Enma thought for a moment before smiling wryly. "Enemies because I was given false information about a long-standing grudge between our Families."

"Long-standing -" Xanxus tensed, his train of thoughts landing on a certain far-fetched possibility but also the more reasonable one. "- Vongola?"

"You're more perceptive then I made you out to be," Enma chuckled, leaning against the wall. "But yes, Vongola." Upon seeing the man before him cautiously move for his guns, Enma waved causally. "If I had wanted to attack, I would've done so long ago, Xanxus. As of now, with my and Tsuna's consensus, as the direct descents of our ancestors, the conflict between the Simon and Vongola Famiglia has officially been void and null."

Xanxus blinked, then stared for several long seconds but he still didn't know who the Simons were.

"Of course you don't."

 _How the hell_ -

"Like Tsuna said," Enma smirked. "It's written all over your face. You all need to seriously work on that, especially if it's you Xanxus."

Xanxus was baffled at the way Enma phrased his last few words, as it was just as odd as the ones from Tsuna. Their words seemed to be directed to something else other than its intended meaning, something that they weren't willing to explain.

Usually, this would annoy Xanxus because he tend to be straight forward, but when it came to these two duo, something told him that he shouldn't pry.

"Anyways," Enma's gaze shifted to something across the hall. "Even if you search through Vongola's archives, you won't come upon my Family. They're hidden you see, since my Founder's time, because of a promise between him and Vongola Primo."

That was all Enma was going to give when he pushed himself away from the wall, looking towards the stairs to see Tsuna holding a few files in hand while the other dragged Manzo Caracassa back down.

The brunet looked around for a few moments as if he was searching for something. Unfortunately, judging from the frown curling on his lips, he didn't find it.

"Enma?"

Said teen shook his head helplessly. "No."

"That's strange..." The other mumbled in thought.

"I know what you mean," Enma looked around as well, eyes sharp and calculating. "It's already the second time within a single night. They should've been alerted at the very least..."

"The moment they're alert is the moment they are already moving." Tsuna argued, concern surfacing on his face.

"... maybe we're just not breaking any laws?" Enma offered uncertainly.

"Enma," Tsuna gave the other a dubious look. "We took down the Trabia - demolished their second base even - and took over the Carcassa within a night. Even if we didn't break any laws, they would've been wary enough to check for abnormalities."

"..." Enma groaned and threw his hands up in the air in frustration. "Why is it that the moment we want the Vindice on our case, they _aren't_?!"

The word 'Vindice' received an all around reaction from those who heard - which was practically everyone in the lobby since Enma had shouted.

The Varia stared at Enma was if he grew two heads because why would any _sane_ individual want Vindice chasing after them?!

"That's just it," Tsuna sighed, massaging his temple since his humming Intuition was telling him that he was on the right track. "It meant that _Vindice_ is in _trouble_."

Enma stared blankly at Tsuna's grim gaze for a second before cursing under his breath. "I _hate_ it when you're so sure of yourself about these things!"

"Oooh," Byakuran appeared beside them all of a sudden - not that it surprised either of them anyways. "No wonder Aria said there was a recent increase in mafia activities lately."

"Of course, if the Vindice - wait," Tsuna paused and both he and Enma stared at the Sky Mare in disblief.

"You knew about this but didn't bother to tell us?!" It was Enma who continued where Tsuna left off at. "Byakuran, _what. The hell?!_ "

Said boy only grinned back at them. They may not be able to see his eyes but they knew that the Mare was silently laughing.

"Byakuran," Enma seethed indignantly, but couldn't really get mad at the Mare since they treated each other like their own kin - Yuni included. "Were you expecting us to run all over Italy and turn the entire mafia upside down while we're at it?!"

The Mare giggled but nodded his head. "Wouldn't that be fun though~?"

"Admittedly, yes," Enma answered honestly, making Tsuna facepalm. The latter froze when he realize that he didn't feel particularly opposed to the idea either. Because even though Vongola was his Family _and_ family. he was still somewhat upset with how the mafia came into his once peaceful life.

"Reborn rubbed off on us too much," Enma smirked in mirth upon a meaningful groan escaping Tsuna's lips just as he held his head in his hands.

Tsuna dejectedly agreed.

"Hold the f***." Xanxus finally came back from his shock but still in disbelief at what he heard. "You brats were trying to get _Vindice_ to come after you?"

Tsuna nodded and continued to nod before stopping abruptly at the assassin squad's strange looks. "Oh don't worry, we won't involve the Varia or Vongola in this."

"Sh**." Squalo was a bit daze. "You _weren't_ joking?"

Enma gave the swordsman an odd look. "If you thought we were joking just now, then you haven't _really_ seen us when we joke around." He leaned over, stage-whispering to the Varia. "Be glad Tsuna and I are actually the more sane individuals of our group. A _pandemonium_ would be the least of your problems when the more insane of us takes the leash with their idiosyncrasies."

"There's _more_ of you?" Mammon asked warily.

Enma opened his mouth to answer, but paused for a moment before shaking his head with a wry smile. He decided to be mysterious instead and chuckled with a melancholic glint in his eyes. "Perhaps."

"Enma." Tsuna rest a hand on his best friend's shoulder, casting the latter a worried glance.

"I'm fine Tsuna," Enma assured as the dark look passed over.

The brunet frowned, though his intuition told him that the redhead wasn't lying.

"I want to try to stay optimistic until my suspicions are confirmed." Enma elaborated when he saw Tsuna still worry despite trusting his Intuition. "If it ends up for the worse, I'll have you, Byakuran, and Yuni to comfort me."

"Suspicions?" Tsuna blinked, then he thought back and - _oh_. He beamed at redhead, one mystery having been bothering his mind solved after Enma's disclosure. However, his smiled turned into a frown and guilt took over. "You should've told me earlier. We would have came to Italy ahead of time rather than -"

"Tsuna," Enma looked pointedly at his best friend. _They're young and from the looks of things, far more inexperienced than you when you were their age._

 _... Alright, I'll drop it._ Tsuna sighed reluctantly and relented on the topic. "Anyhow, we should work faster then. Just in case."

He paused for a moment, calculating under his breath. "You think we'll be able go through all of Italy within a week?"

"We can't be late for the Inheritance Ceremony." Enma answered with a chortle. As much as he knew that the two of them to be very capable, but traversing the entire of Italy within seven things was a bit of a stretch for their current conditions.

"I guess that's a negative then..."

"Speaking of which," Xanxus spoke up again when he found it suitable to join in - not that Xanxus was one to be polite but... Tsuna and Enma gained his respect; hence, he respected their privacy by not demanding an explanation of their strange conversation. (Though he does wondered if Tsuna was in his right of mind when the brunet made the above suggestion.) "Aren't you of Vongola blood?"

"Yes," Tsuna confirmed, but then shook his head. Albeit he knew what Xanxus was getting at, Tsuna knew he had to refuse. It was impossible so to speak. "But I rather not fight over the claim to the successor of Vongola with my brother. he has been prepared for it for years, so it's only proper."

"But he's insufficient to bring Vongola back up." Xanxus growled. "The ring may accept him as the heir but the rest of the mafia sure as f*** don't."

Tsuna remained silent on the matter. He knew Ienari was burdened by the title, and he would claim his rights if it would lift the weight off of his twin's shoulder (he fear Ienari would never be ready to have the world weighing down on his shoulders). Unfortunately, or fortunately, Tsuna does not belong to this vertical-time axis - or at least his soul doesn't. He wouldn't stay forever, he knew, so he was careful around the matters that involved the Trinisette and bonds.

When he had finally allowed himself to create a bond with Ienari and his guardians (He would be lying if he didn't feel a sense of completion at having one or more of each Element - only Tsuna would be able to say such thing), he had made sure that it was a fairly weak one. A bond filled with holes so that it could break easily without a heavy backlash like the one he was forced to feel every time his Elements left his side.

He cringed at the mere thought of having to break that bond that was slowly helping Ienari and his guardians walk ahead instead of looking hoped that everything would have settled by then, so that they were stronger both physically and mentally to protect themselves.

The Trinisette on the other hand... it would become unbalanced when one of the chosen holders suddenly disappears - or in this case, it would be _two_ because of him and Enma. Hell, Enma had already received the Simon ring's recognition before the redhead could do anything about it so that was already one trouble to deal with for the future to come.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to answer Xanxus, Tsuna's Intuition nagged that strangely familiar warning again and -

 ** _Hummm-_**

 _-_ an strange but familiar sense of _instability_ caught them abruptly by surprise before everything returned to normal, including his Intuition, as if it had never happened.

However, the feeling of the world tilting at your feet couldn't be so easily ignored. Especially if it the very same one that they felt so long ago.

Tsuna and Enma exchanged startled looks, completely missing the grave one that flashed briefly across Byakuran's face before it disappeared. Though, all three of them had the same thought going through their heads: _the Laws are unstable._

They decided to pushed the thought into the back of their minds for later discussion, they couldn't find the cause of it back then so it was unlikely that they could now.

"Ienari will grow." Tsuna answered Xanxus in a serious tone as he redirected his attention back to the latter. "Besides, I already promised Reborn that I would be Ienari's chief adviser for the time being."

"Why the hell do you keep saying that?" Xanxus was frustrated. He didn't understand why the brats kept implying they would only stay temporarily. "It's not like you're going to disappear from the ends of the Earth."

Tsuna jerked his head up, staring at Xanxus with owlish eyes along with Enma and Byakuran. They were rather surprised that Xanxus would be able to pick up that bit of a clue even though it had multiple implications, with the current one in discussion being the more far-fetched ones to other people who wasn't in the know-how. (They weren't implying that Xanxus was an idiot. If he was an idiot after dealing with mafia politics for so long, then what was the rest of the world? Mindless zombies?)

"That's..." The brunet was, nonetheless, impressed. "It's long and complicated, and I doubt you'll believe it."

"Let's just say Tsuna and I have our own lives to deal with." Enma helpfully supplied before it gets too complicated. Besides, it would be rather unpleasant for them both if they were to keep explaining their far-fetched tale and have no one to believe them afterwards (Reborn was the exception. He was _Reborn_. Case closed.)

"What he said," Tsuna was glad for the assistance. "Well, I think it's time we leave and I don't think the Varia should be absent from the main branch of Vongola for long, ne? Especially with the ceremony coming up in a few days."

Xanxus growled but couldn't argue against that. "Then what are you brats going to be doing?"

"We'll be going explooorring~!" Byakuran pipped, jumping up and down with childish enthusiasm, looking completely unaffected by the strange occurrence that happened moments ago. "But we'll make it back in time for the Decimo's inheritance thingy. After all, me and Aria of Giglio Nero plan on allying with Vongola so we can't miss the party!"

Xanxus stared hard at Byakuran.

"He's not joking." Tsuna chuckled, finding it amusing that no one could take this Sky Mare seriously - then again, no one _ever_ took the Mare seriously in his world either. "I was the one who did the paperwork - unfortunately - for it so I can vouch for his words."

"I watched," Enma tacked on, earning a resentful glare from his best friend. He rolled his eyes back, sending the message: _It was your problem to begin with. It has nothing to do with me._ "Anyways, as for the Carcassa famiglia, you should put them under Vongola's watch since their Don was... replaced per se. The alliance they're currently in will probably get a wind of it by the next day and that wouldn't spell anything good for the Family."

Xanxus grunted a reply. Enma and Tsuna interpreted that as an affirmative.

"Um..." Skull decided to join at the last moment, fidgeting as he did so.

Tsuna and Enma shared a look before crouching down and smiling gently at the Cloud.

"Skull-san, do you want to say something?" Tsuna opened up the conversation first.

"What you did back there," Skull looked up at them. "Thank you... I would've never been able to get myself out of this mess if it wasn't for you kids!"

Enma chuckled lightly. "No problem Skull. We're glad to help."

"Say," Skull tilted his head curiously. "From the conversation just now, are you all part of Vongola?"

"In a way," The redhead answered, scratching the back of his head in thought. "I mean it hasn't been official or anything but yeah. We have some ties to the famiglia."

"Cool!" The Cloud Arcobaleno chirped happily. "Can I come over to visit sometimes?"

"You're more than welcome to, Skull-san." Tsuna beamed. "Better yet, come for my brother's ceremony. He'll be the next Vongola Don in a few days."

"Just be sure to watch out for a certain sadist." Enma said quietly, his warning causing the Cloud Arcobaleno to freeze. He had inadvertently forgotten that Reborn also has ties to the Vongola. His gaze went to Mammon who was perched on Squalo's shoulder. Right, there also the Mist Arcobaleno...

Skull was started to be drenched in cold sweat. Can someone explain to him how was it that Vongola was declining when they have _these_ people around?

"Don't worry about it Skull-san," Tsuna tried to reassure but even he, himself, was unsure. After all, Skull _was_ Reborn's lackey for life for some apparent reason that Tsuna didn't dare to ask of the Sun Arcobaleno lest he wanted to go through some disaster that Reborn came up with just to get an answer that wouldn't really be an answer at all. "It's fine if you don't come. But remember, Vongola will welcome you, and _anyone_ who deserves it, within its protecting shells."

"It wouldn't be the same Vongola otherwise," Enma commented with chuckled.

The Varia and Skull blinked, wondering if they were imagining things just now because they saw a shadow behind both the brunet and the redhead. Of someone _older_ and carrying an influence that could impact the _world_ as they know it.

It had disappeared as fast as it came, leaving the baffled duo to stared at the nonplussed observers with raised brows.

"Do we have something on our faces?" Enma asked with a tilt of his head.

They didn't know what to say so they left it at a shake of their heads.

* * *

Even though they were in Italy, Ienari and his friends still had to undergo training, courtesy of one sadistic Reborn. The hitman had reasoned that they should always be on the top of their game, hence, they couldn't slack off even for one day. He also received permission to set up traps within the premise as a method of training. (As if that was anything new.)

This would explain the occasional screams and explosions around or in the mansion.

Ienari groaned as he sprawled over the carpet in the living room after running through one of Reborn's custom-made obstacle courses that were, and he quote, 'designed to increase stamina, agility, and critical decision making skills.'

As if.

Ienari will bet his life that Reborn just wanted to torture him. It was a good thing the infant hitman disappeared right after Ienari finished his tenth run, or he would have suffered from Leon-hammer. Then again, Reborn tend to disappear from sight, but would still pop back up when the opportunity to create chaos presents itself.

The very thought made Ienari shiver and look around cautiously, hoping his Intuition would help him find Reborn.

"Haha, are you tired Nari?" Yamamoto's cheerful voice - authentic ones, the blonde noted, not the forced ones he stopped doing as of late - reached his ears. The blonde lolled his head to the side, seeing the swordsman in a tilted view.

"You think?"

Yamamoto grinned, approaching Ienari and offering a hand. Ienari smiled weakly and accepted the offer to be pulled up. Although Ienari was slowly getting used to how things were changing, he was still surprised that his guardians were willing to reach out to him first.

"Where are the others?" Ienari inquired. He hasn't seen them since he was woken up by Reborn and was immediately put through tor-training.

"I just finished practicing with Gokudera and Senpai. Gokudera went to the library to research something and Senpai went jogging around the mansion." Yamamoto informed. "Hibari and Murkuro are probably still in the training room fighting each other and Chrome's babysitting Lambo."

Ienari nodded off to tell the other that he was listening.

"... Ne, Nari," Yamamoto tilted his head in thought. "Do you think Tsuna can come if we ask Reborn?"

Ienari had entertained the idea too when they got to the mansion. Although he was against roping his brother into this whole mafia thing, Reborn was set on having Tsuna as Ienari's adviser. He was relieved when Reborn didn't bring Tsuna with them to Ienari (though he had wondered why), but now... he was worried what would happen to his mother and twin now that the left them in Namimori. (Kozato Enma also stayed behind, though Ienari wasn't sure if he could rely on someone he only know for a few weeks.)

All of his guardians and him agreed they felt more balanced and safe whenever Tsuna was among them - protected even, despite the brunet's lean and scrawny appearance. It might have been their imagination but they felt a warm veil of _something_ that Ienari was quite certain to be Sky wrapping them after the incident at school. (He shuddered at the remembrance. He never wanted to go through that again. Seeing his brother in a pool a blood and so _lifeless_ wasn't something he wanted a repeat of.)

Noticing that his friend was conflicted, Yamamoto laughed and gave the other a few slap on the back. "It's fine Nari! I just feel bad that we had to leave Tsuna alone in Japan, is all!"

"Well -"

"Oh hey! Ienari, Yamamoto!" The two teens turned to see Dino entering the living room and waving at them with a wide grin. "How are your training going?"

"All of us finally got the flames part down! Look!" Yamamoto showed his Vongola ring. With but a thought, a gentle blue flame flickered to life on said ring's surface.

"Whoa." The Cavalleno blinked, seemingly amazed. Well, there was a good reason for that. The last time they came to Italy to train - which was only several months ago - the Tenth Generation had focused entirely on how to manifest their flames, but failing miserably (minus Mukuro and Hibari. Chrome was almost there by the sparks she had been able to produce with her ring.)

He didn't expect them to make this much progress the next that they returned to Vongola mansion. Did something happen in Japan that caused them all to suddenly... grow?

"That's amazing!" Dino praised, sincerely happy that the teens got past that obstacle. "Seems like Reborn's training finally paid off?"

"Haha..." Yamamoto responded with a scratch on the back of his head. He was about to explain that it was actually _Ryohei_ who lit his first, then explained to the rest of them that it was _Tsuna_ who had given a hint (whether it was intentional or not) of how to manifest their flame when Dino suddenly pat his pockets and froze in horror.

"Uh... guys?" The older blonde laughed nervously, sweat rolling down his cheeks. "I think Enzo slipped away again."

"..."

"..."

The two belatedly noticed that Dino didn't have any of his subordinates with him.

Then there was a quaking rumble, followed by a familiar cry on the opposite side of where they were, and Enzo was happily trouncing apart the west wing.

.

.

.

When Xanxus returned that afternoon with the newly appointed Carcassa Don (he left Squalo to manage the rest of his team back at Carcassa's territory while watching over the other scums since they can't well take _all_ of those mafiosi with them back to Vongola), he was met with the reconstruction of the west wing of the Vongola mansion.

His eye twitched in annoyance. As if Vongola didn't have enough problems to deal with, the brats just _had_ to cause more.

In a fit of rage, he kicked down the double door leading into the mansion, thereby adding _more_ to Vongola's plate (he didn't live there so he could care less about the damage. Besides, the mansion was currently going under repairs, might as well get new doors while they were at it), and shouted. "TRASH, WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED WHILE I WAS GONE?!"

"Nice to see you're back, Xanxus." Reborn appeared out of nowhere. While Xanxus wasn't fazed one bit, Francisco had jumped and would have went for his pistol if Xanxus didn't give him a quelling look.

"Why the hell didn't you toss those trashes elsewhere instead of having them destroying this place?" Xanxus growled, red eyes glaring at the Sun Arcobaleno.

"That particular damage was done by Dino," Reborn informed all too blithely. "Or rather, Enzo did it."

Xanxus cursed again but didn't dwell on the topic for long. He had other businesses to attend to. "Reborn, where's - never mind, the old man can't even lift a damn pen."

"I suppose this is related to the guest you've brought with you?" Reborn reckon, his curiosity has been peaked the moment he saw the unknown mafioso. If it wasn't Xanxus who brought him, Reborn would've already have the man at point-blank of his pistol.

Xanxus grunted and shoved Francisco forward. "This trash is the new Carcassa don."

Reborn quirked a brow. Everyone knew that the Carcassa was one of the openly-declared enemies of Vongola and though the exchange of leadership was a surprise for Reborn, it didn't explain why Xanxus brought an enemy back to base.

"He was appointed by the bra - Tsunayoshi." Xanxus corrected last minute. It wouldn't have explained anything if the Wrath kept addressing Tsuna as a brat when said brat wasn't even present.

Reborn _stared_.

Xanxus stared back with a poker face and elaborated succinctly of the events before this. "We met. Trashed the Trabias and the Carcassas, then _reformed_ the Carcassas." He paused for a brief moment before adding, "It was one _hell_ of a first impression."

Reobrn raised a brow. If he assumed correctly, since Tsuna and Enma had probably arrived later than them, then they touched Sicily by late afternoon yesterday, and that would mean there was only last night to deal with the two famiglias and Varia.

"Heh, Tsuna's efficient when he wants to be." The hitman smirked, pulling his fedora down to hide the amusement and praise in his eyes.

Xanxus grunted an noncommittal reply, then got back to business. "I ain't going to leave my team there to babysit those scums, so we need to send people to watch the Carcassa before letting them into the alliance."

"I'm on it." Leon changed to a phone and speed-dialed for one of Vongola Nono's available guardians to come and discuss the issue. "But let's not mention Tsuna."

At Xanxus's confusion, Reborn smirked. "A little surprise wouldn't hurt anyone."

Suprise? Xanxus snorted. It would be more of a shell shock - if not the bomb of the century - considering what Tsuna already accomplished in the span of a single night.

I mean, the brat forcefully overtook and reformed an _entire_ famiglia overnight. And it was a famiglia that could influence overseas trade and held a relatively good amount of power within the Cosa Nostra to boot.

(Well, if Xanxus knew Tsuna long enough, then he would know that if Tsuna didn't do anything, then all was fine and dandy. But when he does make a move, the result was usually anything but conventional by any standard that wasn't Vongola - and Tsuna was supposed to be the _sanest_ of his group too.)

* * *

Tsuna sneezed over the relentless wind.

"Did you catch a cold already?" Enma asked, raising a skeptical brow.

"No." The brunet rolled his eyes at the other, then squinted them through the blizzard, up the mountain they were currently climbing. "Why do they have to pick the _Alps_ out of all places good and holy to reside in?"

It was only the two of them this time since Tsuna had Byakuran stay back in his own territory to go through the information that they retrieved while Enma and Tsuna headed off to look for the Vindice.

(Though, not before Spanner gave Tsuna a set of fancy headphones and contacts. The brunet had send a request in for the blonde inventor to make him the equipment before they came to Italy and Spanner was amazed by the strange flames that he got right to work. It was the reason why Spanner had been glued to his laptop screen this entire time. Although those were only prototypes compared to his old ones from the other world, it would still be helpful to gauge how much flames he should or should not exhaust.)

Enma snorted, sarcasm brimming in his voice as he said, "Tsuna. Vindice. 'Good and holy'? Nice one."

"Hey, Bermuda and his subordinates were actually quite nice after the whole revenge thing." The brunet defended with a splitting grin. "Or did you forget about that tea session we had with them in Vendicare? I didn't even know Bermuda _liked_ Japanese tea! Maybe it's because he was once an aristocrat or something."

"Only you could rope the Vindice of all people to your side." Enma threw his hands up carelessly and continued the ascent. "And Vendicare was _not_ an ideal place to have tea!"

"Well, it was a little cold and dreary..." Tsuna kept pace with Enma as they continued the conversation that, if heard by anyone else, would've frightened them witless. "But wasn't that why we invited them over to Kaa-san's place to try her tea later on?"

"Oh my god, _Tsuna_. _You_ invited them over to Maman's place, not us!" Enma sallied back over the howling wind, his tone revealing that he was so done with this topic. "All of us even thought you had a screw loose that time!"

"What?!"

Enma ignored Tsuna's indignant squawk and continued to rant. "And I can't believe she thought they were _cosplaying!_ Granted, she didn't know what we do at that time but still! It wasn't even anywhere close to _Halloween_ \- wait, Japan don't even _celebrate_ Halloween!"

"Well... we do have the Oban Festival." Tsuna supplied thoughtfully. "And taking into consideration of the future... Japan's going to take interest in Halloween."

"Except they won't do trick or treats." Enma shot down flatly - and the topic was now astray (as per usual).

"Hey! At least they make good food for the occasion, that's all you need!"

And even though it was supposed to be freezing, Enma and Tsuna, donning in casual wear and chatting away, were completely unaffected by the temperature... nor the blizzard, because they were radiating their flames around them to shield the frostbites away.

* * *

 **So... looks like the Vindice's going to appear soon :)**

 **I don't have much to say in this chapter so... yeah.**

 **Thanks to** _Shiroshi.2, Bochord of Leaspell, Yuki, KK, Draveniel, minerbbi, Guest, wildcat1144, Chi-chan, Guest, Mikka235, hikaru, Guest, DragonWriter77, vampireharry the 2, narilin2461, PhantomCielo27, sousie, Allykrau, Nella Moonblood Royalle , angelaneahwalker, TechGirl143, riszang, MoonlightStar, shirokonyan, Ciel Blaze, Niknok19, Narya Anima, thor94, WildRosa13474, Neko1290, Chew Chew, Little Ms. Pumpkin, Woezy, SaoriK, kat99421, CiaoKawaiirina, Sora Rider X, SakuraKoi, D C JoKeR H S, TheSilverHunt3r, ShotaroxPhillip, Lunapok, ScarletRoofs, yola1996acuario, LittleSnowChild, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	35. Vindice

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Itzal narrowed his eyes as he played with the somewhat glowing orange-gem'ed ring on his finger, his face unable to betray his thoughts.

"Something is wrong." He mumbled all of a sudden. "It's lacking that much without them huh..."

Vincent stared silently at the man's back, knowing that it was better not to disturb Itzal when he was in that in thinking mode lest he wanted to risk his future.

He sighed, his fist clenched tightly as if trying to get rid of the trembling from before. That experiment was way too close for comfort, he thought with a shuddering breath. He had know of the dangers he would have to face when he followed the man, but it was the best route. Best for him, and best for...

He shook his head of the still ridiculous thought, deciding that it was better not to think about it if he doesn't want an inducing headache. His attention shifted to the unconscious people - not bodies, they weren't dead. Yet - on the prison ground and stopped on Kawahira, who seemed absolutely fine compared to the others. Then again, he wasn't part of the test so that might be the reason.

"So... you're one of the... special species before humans, was it?" Vincent decided to try to see if he could strike up a conversation with this man whose age has been forgotten through the passage of time. He was having his doubts still, the man look no older than in his thirties but he was supposed to be older than his however-many-great grandparents-were?

Immortality was something that everyone so desired, but it was an impossible task so to speak. Everything has a beginning and an end after all, or else, there was no meaning in moving forward when nothing could be change and begin anew... Vincent's eyes flashed with a dark look. _Just like how the world has to begin anew._

Nothing lasts forever after all.

"So what if I am and what if I'm not?" The Administrator questioned back, sipping a cup of tea that shouldn't have been there... nor should the kettle... or the mini portable stove. Dear god, if Vincent didn't know any better, he would have thought this _dungeon_ was Kawahira's freakin' _home_.

Vincent rolled his eyes, skipping over Kawahira's cryptic reply and continued, "How come you look exactly like humans do?"

"How would I know?" Kawahira raised a brow, looking at Vincent as if he had asked a stupid question. "Am I supposed to know the working of the universe like the back of my hand?"

"..." The Storm's eye twitched. "You know the workings of the Trinisette."

"Not exactly," Kawahira magnanimously shared. "I am only the administrator, I only make sure that the Laws are working as they should." His eyes turned as it landed on Iztal, whom was still stuck in a trance. "The disturbance just now made quite a ruckus, you're not afraid that the balance is disturbed before you can reach your goal?"

Iztal didn't answer, but Kawahira also didn't expect an answer so he brought his gaze back to Vincent. "None of you are like the rest, your route will not be the best for the fate of this world - or of other worlds."

"As long as it's the best for us." Vincent narrowed his sharp green eyes, the scar on his face seem more conspicuous now with the creases of his brows. His gaze swept across the unconscious people and stopping at the mummified infant that was lying close to Kawahira. "They should all be thanking us for what we're going to do."

Kawahira lowered his gaze, the tea reflecting his image back at him as he pondered lightly. "Changing parallel fates is far more dangerous than you think."

Before Vincent could reply, the door to the dungeon opened, revealing a messy haired blonde poking his head lazily. He looked as though he was about to call Iztal, but seeing said person busy in his own thoughts, the man turned to Vincent. "Scar-face -"

Vincent twitched.

" - Problem." The blonde didn't seemed to care that the nickname had agitated the Storm.

Vincent closed his eyes and took a deep breath as if preparing for an incoming headache. "Speak."

"Kitty ate all the sugar in the kitchen - and I mean _all_ \- and you know where that leads too. Unfortunately, like you may have already guessed, she and that directionally challenged twin sister of Killjoy's decided that they're going to look for buried treasures in caves... somewhere on the plains was what I heard before Kitty misted Amnesiac away. I have no idea where Killjoy and The Other One went off to." The blonde had said that all in one go without a change in his nonchalant expression - not even a twitch. "On the lesser note, it seemed that the Trabia and Caracassa were taken down by the Gesso Famiglia... I think."

"..." Vincent stared. He didn't know where to start off and so, he decided to go with, "My name's not Scar-face, Antonio." (It was something he cared very much about, okay?!)

The aforementioned blonde sighed as if Vincent was beyond saving. "You missed the main point Scar-face -"

"It's Vincent!"

Antonio promptly ignored the rude interruption. "- The _main_ point is that Kitty and Amnesiac didn't bring the lunch that Killjoy made for them!"

Kawahira, as the listener through this back and forth exchange, wondered if either of them will ever get the main point.

Iztal came to right at this moment. "Vincent, Antonio, let's go." His tone didn't reveal whether or not he had heard the blonde's report.

"Righty-o, Boss." The Rain saluted lazily, keeping the door open for Iztal while Vincent nodded after the latter spoke, turning and following the other out - though not before glancing back at the Trinisette administrator one last time.

Kawahira closed his eyes with a sigh once he was the only conscious being in the room and started mumbling to himself.

 _"The Sea knows no bounds._

 _The Clam passes down its form from Generation to Generation._

 _The Rainbow appears from time to time before fading away._

 _Yet, they know not of the Turtle swimming through the endless bounds, through the passage of time, never staying for its search of a beginning."_

He opened his eyes open again, looking up to ceiling with a ripple disturbing once tranquil - tranquil yes, but tired (soso _so_ _tired_ ) - eyes. "Is that your Will, Trinisette?"

As if to answer his question, there was a soft hum vibrating in the air. It seemed neither in confirmation nor denial; rather, it was just simple hum.

* * *

It took them several hours ( _days_ for the average person) to trek through the snow and reach the summit where the entrance to the Vendicare was placed. (Well, it was more like a cave in a mountain than anything else but unless one has a death wish, it's the Vendicare. Besides, it has fancy doors, that counted for something, right?)

"Finally..." Enma groaned. "I had have enough of snow!"

Tsuna gave his companion an odd look. "You had a _Glacier_ guardian."

" _Exactly_ ," Enma empathized to prove his point. "I had an _Adel_."

"... Better than having a Kyouya." Tsuna deadpanned back, thinking of all the paperwork that he has to go through because of one homicidal Cloud on one of his (common) bad days. And let's not forget the fact he had an _equally_ homicidal half-Mist that was all too willing to add oil to fire for all his troubles.

The redhead opened his mouth, but then close it when he realized that he couldn't argue against the brunet when it came to who had the more troublesome people to deal with. Forcing down a chuckle, he changed the subject. " _Anyways_ , should we knock or... ?"

Tsuna stepped forward to bang on the steel door, but frowned when there wasn't an answer even after waiting for several minutes. He also hadn't forgotten about his throbbing Intuition even for a second so it was telling him that something wasn't right and - "We're knocking it down."

Enma raised a brow, but picking up the urgency in Tsuna's voice, he didn't question it. (They have been busting doors lately, so why not add the Vindice's door on the list as well?) He tested the strength of the steel double door first with a punch, but it only shake in place while the pile of snow on top fell to the floor.

"Step back." Tsuna warned in Hyper Dying Will mode, Natsu already summoned and transforming into a gauntlet around Tsuna's right hand.

Enma stared with ever-enlarging eyes as Tsuna actually went straight for a _Burning Axle_ of all things, but he suppose Tsuna had his reasons for making a bigger entrance for Vendicare. (They needed remodeling anyways.)

 ** _Boom!_**

After shaking the entire summit, it was revealed that Vendicare, with its newly renovated entrance, looked more like a cave now than ever.

Tsuna frowned. There wasn't an alert of any sort, he noted. That wasn't good, not at all even if the Vindice welcomed any and all intruders into their cav - Vendicare.

He cautiously entered, Enma following closely after him.

"You do remember the layout right?" The former Simon Decimo asked dubiously. They knew that the Vendicare might have looked simple on the outside, but its interior design was more complicated than a maze with its twists and turns and dead ends and whatnot. (It had to be if they wanted to prevent prisoners from escaping - if they can get out of their jail cell that is.)

At some point in time, Bermuda had shown them a complete blueprint of Vendicare, and Enma had to say, with multiple routes leading to straight to an active volcano or to a perilous cliff or any other dangerous locations known to man, there was only one safe route. And that was the entrance - though, there was that time when Tsuna's guardians visited... Enma refrained from going down that memory lane, and he doubted Tsuna wanted to either. (Let's just say, the Vendicare ended up with a lot more 'routes' than they had wanted.)

"Erm..." The brunet sweatdropped. "Vaguely."

"... That doesn't sound promising." Enma gave his companion an accusing look.

"What?" Tsuna shot back, offended. "You expect me to have a photographic memory?"

" _Reborn_ had expected you to have a photographic memory."

"Don't remind me," Tsuna grimaced. "I don't understand how re-enacting horror films were supposed to help with in improving our memorization skills."

This time, Enma grimaced as well, because he had also went through that experience along with Tsuna. "Right, back to the problem..."

Tsuna stared at Enma. Enma stared back. The stare off went on for several long moments before Tsuna slowly open his mouth and spoke.

"There's one solution to this."

Enma continued with a solemn nod. "And that's to take the easiest route."

"Straight through?" The brunet asked.

"Straight through." The redhead confirmed.

"I'll make the tunnel."

"And I'll keep the mountain from collapsing."

The two former Decimos nodded solemnly to each other in silent agreement. It only took minutes for the Alphs to welcome an earth-shattering- _- **Boom!**_ \- that shook off all the snow from its peaks, creating the world-record of the largest avalanche occurring in history (this was, of course, noted down later in the future).

Tsuna coughed faintly as he wafted away the dust with his hand while Enma let out a breath from overstraining his gravity manipulation to keep the mountain they were in from caving in.

Both of them checked the new path that they paved courtesy of X-Burner. It punctured through numerous passageways in its way in a straight line slanted downwards.

"Hello?" Enma's voice echo'ed down the path, seeing if there was anyone that could hear them. The two waited and waited and waited and -

"Y'know, maybe we should just -" Tsuna hadn't finished his sentence when the strange yet familiar icy cold presence wrapped around them, though it didn't seem to be enough to send shivers down their spines. (Maybe it was thanks to the fact that they were used dealing with the VIndice?)

"Who dares to barge into Vendicare?" Came a raspy yet menacing voice through the tunnel they made.

"Barge?" Enma snorted, not at all affected by the sense similar to Death itself. "We didn't _barge_ , per se. We were helping you guys renovate the place." They needed a new door and more direct passageway for guests was what Enma was suggesting.

"Y'know Enma," Tsuna offhandedly commented. "What happened to us? We used to be scared of _puppies_ , let alone the Vindice."

"Reborn." Enma dropped one word with a glance and that effectively shut Tsuna up on the topic to prevent themselves from going off-topic. He returned his attention to the foreign but familiar voice whose owner was still nowhere in sight. "Shouldn't you or any of your pals be arresting us already? We don't have all day."

"..."

The silence seemed to be speaking of the incredulity of what Enma was implying. (Who in their right minds would deliver themselves straight to the Vindice on a silver plate?)

Enma blinked, and facepalmed when he realized his phrasing. "We're going nuts, Tsuna. Nuts I tell you!"

"You think?" The other rolled his eyes at his best friend before finally walking down the path they made. "Should be obvious when we had to deal with those guardians of ours for half of our lives." To the point that they considered it a _normal_ occurrence to have chaos happening around them at least once a day. In other words, being normal for once was strange while being strange was normal. After all, their whole family was normal... or strange- whichever it was in people's respective perspectives. (Honestly, Tsuna and Enma's common senses were long out of wack due to constant conditioning by Reborn and their families.)

"Nope," Enma followed after Tsuna in a state of denial. "We're _not_ going back to this topic right now."

"You started it," Tsuna retorted lightly but didn't continue. Instead, he hollered through the tunnel. "If you guys don't come us, then we're coming down to you guys."

Both former boss trudged down the path, their steps echoing off the walls. It may look as though they were walking through a park, but the tension in their shoulders betrayed them.

* * *

Bermuda von Veckenschtein hadn't anticipated the other party's actions. Not at all. He knew that he should be wary of this rising famiglia that couldn't be older than seven years. Their foundation had been laid down too quickly, but it had been _solid_. Too solid.

He had seen his fair share of potentially powerful upstarts - Vongola had been one of them back in the days - but not to this extent. The Tartaruga famiglia had risen to the point it rivaled the power and influence of that of an _Old Blood_ with _a year's time_ and had continued that stable momentum till current day.

In fact, he wouldn't be surprised if the new famiglia would be replacing Vongola as the strongest anytime soon - if it hadn't already.

He should've been more cautious when the Family visited the Vendicare. No one would come to the Vindice's dwellings without reason. The same applied to the Tartarugas.

They had came to negotiate with him about some... activities that they and their alliance were going to conduct. They wanted the Vindice's promise to not intervene them - no, it hadn't been a request, it had been an _ultimatum._ It had been absolutely _ludicrous_ to think anyone other than Bermuda could tell the Vindice what they should or shouldn't do, but the Tartaruga had done it.

The absurd demand had obviously been rejected by Bermuda himself before they could even finish - and it had been in a fit of fury at that.

 **"You think you're have the rights to refuse?" The don had asked, sneering when Bermuda suddenly felt weak. Too weak.**

 **"You..." His strength left him when he realized they had somehow sprinkled Non-Trinisette radiation onto him. His eyes would've been seen widened if not for the bandages wrapping all over him - face included (how he could see was anyone's guess but his). "I-impossible..."**

 **He couldn't - _shouldn't_ be affected...**

 **"You actually have one of the things I need so I will be taking you," Itzal chuckled, his back turned before added a warning to the Bermuda's underlings, who, by the way, were lying sprawled on the ground in defeat thanks to him and his guardians. "If you know what's good for you all and Bermuda, then don't try to stop me. Vindice will cease to exist if you come look for trouble when you shouldn't."**

Bermuda couldn't remember anything afterwards, it had been a long long time since he had ever been forced into an unconscious state after all. The last time it had happened when he was about to die under the pacifier's influence. (How long has it been? Centuries? Millennium? He no longer knew, his sense of time has long been dulled through the test of endurance.)

"Ngh..." Bermuda grunted, his tiny body aching all over with... with exhaustion? He had thought it was a dream, that his life energy was being sapped from him just now, but now? Maybe he wished that it really was just a dream.

"Oh? You're awake?" A familiar voice - that hateful voice made his anger roil and his exhaustion temporarily forgotten as he pried the eyes that no one will ever catch a glimpse of. They were rotten eyes, he knew, even _he_ didn't want to see them lest he be reminded of what that man had done. (Wasn't that why he wrapped himself up in bandages anyways? To hide the scars and bury the memory with hatred?)

Bermuda tried to push himself up, but his limped arms refuse to budge. He settled with turning his head towards the source of the voice.

"Long time no see, Bermuda."

Bermuda really wanted to return with a 'Wipe that mother effin' smile off your face b*****d, we're not friends!'

* * *

Tsuna blinked.

Enma raised a brow.

Both teens stood side by side as they stretched a hand and pinched each other's cheek.

"Ow!" Tsuna glared. "What the hell Enma?! Did you have to pinch that hard?"

"What?" The redhead countered, rolling his eyes. "I don't think we had an agreement on how much force we use in our pinches."

Tsuna opened his mouth, then closed it because he didn't want to continue the subject. Nope. They're not going to get sidetracked again. "Never mind, at least we're not imagining it then."

Enma nodded, looking back to the scene before them. The Vindice were... well, at least the one they were looking at seemed _weak_. The mummified police seemed skinnier than they'd imagined, the drop of the shoulder expressed his exhaustion, his breaths were ragged for some reason and it made him seemed as though he were about to suffocate.

What was more was that the cells - well, it couldn't be call 'cells' anymore per se. The bars were twisted and bent, dents and cracks were all over. Worse of all, there we _no criminals_ in them.

(Who the hell managed to siege Vendicare?!)

"Jager," Tsuna was at the Vindice's Vice-Head in the next second, checking him all over and completely startling the latter. "What happened?"

"You..." Jager's voice was hoarse - not that it was anything strange for the Vindice but Tsuna heard to weakness it in, as if Jager would topple over any second now.

A cold light shadowed Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes, his hands balled tightly into fists. He had came late - _again_. He could've - why did he decide to stay in Japan for so long? He should've came to Italy earlier. If he had noticed earlier - if he had _known_ _-_ ( _Lifelessstilldead_ _ **hopeless** -_ )

"Tsuna!" Enma knocked the brooding teen on his head, his concern couldn't be hidden from his crimson eyes. "We're _alive_."

The brunet closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm town that turmoil of Sky flames within. That shouldn't be something that he grieved over anymore.

 _The past was in the past_ , he thought to himself. _There were more important things in there_ here and now.

"Sorry." Tsuna opened his eyes and gave an apologetic smile to his worried companion. It had just been at a spur of the moment that he relapsed. After all, seeing the Vindice like this was enough to arouse his emotions, because it was so _similar_ \- wait. "Jager, did the Tartaruga gave Vendicare a visit?" It only took Tsuna a few thoughts for him to make an assessment.

The mafia police stared at the two teens for a long time, not responding. He didn't understanding why they were here, and more importantly, why the hell were they acting as if they were familiar with him - _on good terms_?! Shouldn't _normal_ people's first reaction when they see the Vindice was to scream and book to next flight to the other end of the Earth? (Or, at least, that had always been the impression they gave to Jager whenever mafiosi saw the VIndice)

"Let's put that aside first," Enma frowned, his arms folded. "There are _no prisoners_ on this level. Don't tell me they're looking for a way out of this maze of a Vendicare right now."

... Why did the boy sound as though he knew layout to Vendicare? Jagernow stared at the two teens with caution. He wasn't sure how strong they were since they were mere _teens_ , but for people who knew the Vindice, then they were related to the mafia. Either directly or indirectly.

"We mean no harm, Jager." Tsuna assured the Vice-Head.

Jager narrowed his eyes in distrust and finally threw out a - "State your associated famiglia and your business with the Vindice."

"..." Tsuna sighed, pinching his nose. "And if I say Vongola?"

It was only for a split second, but Jagger's semi-bandaged face flickered with surprise as he reassessed Tsuna and Enma up and down. Only now did he find the the two familiar... His memory brought him back to that day when the Vongola and the Simon Famiglia made the vow with the Vindice acting as witness.

The two men had been young if they were civilians, but for people involved with the mafia, they had grew up too quickly, matured too much. Their shoulders had been taut, eyes sharp with caution, their auras one of authority and power as if all living beings were under them and within their control - they were one of the rare natural leaders in history. It was a pity that they met their ends early - like all the other outstanding people there were.

Jager looked at the two teens in front of him again, now hesitant to speak of his suspicions. Could they...?

Of course, Tsuna had been taught Psychology by Reborn, so it was easy to understand what Jager wanted to ask with but a single glance. He smiled, back straight. "Allow us to formerly introduce ourselves." Tsuna raised his hand, pure Sky flames dancing on his finger tip as proof. "I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada of Vongola Primo's bloodline."

"Enma Kozato," The former Simon don grinned, Earth flames lit up on his finger tip. "Simon Primo's bloodline."

Jagerknew he shouldn't easily believe people's words, but he couldn't _not_ trust their words after seeing the proof in their flame signatures (every flame was different for every person, but not completely when compared to others of the same blood - and the Vindice were quite familiar with Vongola and Simon's flames).

He couldn't help but take another look at them and then, he _saw_ \- ( _the shadows of their ancestors standing behind them as if they were fathers standing in support of their sons_ ) - a confidence that couldn't be easily found among the millions of humans on Earth - _(the shadows were replaced, morphed into silhouettes that seemed more similar to the two teens - their future selves maybe - looking upon the world and bringing it under their protection_ ) - and certain pride that defined who they were.

"... You two are very similar to them." The words had slipped out subconsciously, but Jager couldn't agree more with himself.

Tsuna and Enma shared a look, blinking, before laughing lightly in unison. "Of course!"

 _... Maybe they hadn't sacrificed in vain after all_ , the thought startled Jager when it came.

"But where are the others Jager?" Tsuna asked, returning back to the topic.

Jager fell silent again, debating internally if he should tell the two teens. After all, this was Vindice's problem and Vindice would never -

"Jager," There was a strange grin hanging on Tsuna's mouth. "You were a witness to the vow between Vongola Primo and Simon Primo. It's a rather private thing that you guys butted into, y'know?"

"I think we have enough association with you guys to hear a few things from the Vindice's side," Enma tacked on, showing a matching grin as he tiled his head. "Right?"

Jager didn't know the reason for the chill that went down his spine, the two kids weren't exactly _that_ scary - no wait, they _shouldn't_ be scary at all! They're kids!

"We're more mature than you think," Tsuna commented, paused briefly before adding on after seeing Jager's hard to hide disbelief. "You're more emotional than you think, Jager."

"..." Jager honestly didn't know what to saw about that. (How could emotions show up easily on his face? He looked like a _zombie_ for God's sake!)

"No no," Enma half joked. "Tsuna's more intuitive than you think. His Intuition is _jacked_."

"... Enma."

"Yeah?"

"Your comment is not appreciate."

"I know." Enma was a bit too chirpy for Tsuna's liking - it was too much like Reborn when the hitman wanted to mess with people, Tsuna in particular. "But isn't that what best friends are for?"

"..." What happened to 'birds of a feather flock together'?

.

.

.

The Vendicare had indeed been attacked by the Tartaruga Family. They had came making a deal - Tsuna had furrowed when Jager spoke of the contents - but Bermuda had refused outright. It had been a bit unbelievable when they had overpowered the Vindice, but Tsuna and Enma came to quickly accept it.

What they _couldn't_ accept, however, was the fact that Bermuda was _kidnapped_.

"Y'know," Enma frowned, brows knit tightly together. "This situation sounds... a bit familiar..."

"..." Tsuna massage his temples. "I refuse to believe that you forgot about that time."

"What time - _oh_." Enma blinked in revelation and laughed. "You mean when -"

"It was a rather stressful experience but was still particularly enjoyable" Tsuna cut off, then smiled at the memory. "We wouldn't have shaped into who we were if it hadn't happened."

Jager had no idea what they were talking about, and he couldn't ask either. There was _something_ that seemed to separate the two from him - or from this world actually. He didn't understand why he felt that way, but it was as if it should be a _given_.

"What are they going to do with Bermuda?" Enma asked aloud. "Or to be more specific, what are they going to do with Night flames?"

Jager jerked his head towards the the redhead in surprise. _How...?_

Even though the mafia knew that Vindice have a different type of flame to them, but no one could get the information about the eighth flame out of Vindice's mouth. To think these two teenagers knew...

"I don't think they're after the flames..." Tsuna mumbled, his hand playing with Natsu's ring. "I mean, they are but..." He sighed, brushing the thoughts away. Right now, they knew of the fact that the Tartugua's main goal wasn't to negotiate, but Bermuda by how things turned out. "It's useless to think about something we don't have enough information on."

He looked back to Jager. "So, they left other taking Bermuda and left just like that?"

A nod of confirmation was the response.

"Afterwards," Tsuna's eyes haven't left Natsu's ring as he summarized what he knew. "You and the rest of the Vindice are dealing with the runaway prisoners and those that tried to wreak havoc on the lower level." At this point, Tsuna finally lifted his head but it was to shot Jager an apologetic smile. "It seemed we have made more trouble for you with our commotion."

Jager glanced at the passage Tsuna made all the way from the entrance, then back at the smiling teen. He really could not make the connection. Really.

The path reached almost to the center of Vendicare but had stopped right at the upper level of the dungeon, where they were currently in. If it wasn't a coincidence then that should've taken a lot of fire power but more - _much more_ \- accurate precision and control. That level of flame control should've came from a mafioso with many years of experience (given that they started controlling their flames when they were young). Jager could not associate the culprit with Tsuna. (Currently anyways.)

Though... this path might be a bit troublesome at the moment. If the escapees sees it...

"I can fix it up if you want," Enma offered when he saw Jager's line of sight. Then, without waiting for the Vice-Vendicare Head's response, Enma put his gravity manipulation to work to fix the tunnel with the chunks of Earth on the ground.

"..." Jager noticed how accustomed Enma's movements were when he fixed the walls. It was as if he was used to repairing destruction... Jager decided he shouldn't continue down that thought.

"Let's help you deal with the criminals, shall we?" Tsuna smiled, walking towards the lower level of Vendicare with a strolling gait.

"..." Jager felt like he was missing something _really_ important here. Why did it seem as though the brunet knew the Vendicare's layout like his own backyard? _Why?_

As Jager pondered the answer to life, Enma caught up with Tsuna, nudging the latter with his elbow and hissed in a low voice. "Not enough information? I refuse to believe you of all people couldn't make any conclusions with _just_ Bermuda."

Tsuna gave the redhead a look, then discreetly toss a glance at Jager following behind them. _Are you an idiot?_

"It's _Bermuda_." Enma shot back with an eye roll. _Vindice's going to get involved sooner or later_.

Tsuna frowned. "It's complicated." _I don't want to make far-fetched conclusions when I'm not too sure of the possibility myself._

The redhead gave Tsuna a long stare before opening his mouth again. "Is it related to _that?_ "

"The only possibility right now." The brunet nodded in response, his eyes darkening.

The conversation came to a halt when they heard the commotion up ahead, which made them increase their walking speed. What met their eyes were a fight between some of the escapees who seemed to think that they could take this chance to take over Vindice.

Tsuna's sunset-orange eyes darted around, gauging the Vindice's movements to confirm that they were, indeed, in a weaken state. And getting _weaker_.

The absence of Bermuda was definitely a problem, he decided as he lit up his flames - not of Sky but of Rain. He planned to dull the escapees' senses in one go.

As Tsuna send out doses of Rain flames into the air with a wave, Enma followed it up but creating mini gravity spheres to manipulate the flames' path so to prevent them from hitting the wrong targets.

Their cooperation had been silent, but in perfect sync with each other. Not much of a surprise there, really, since they have been working together for years - though it was mostly as empathetic companions suffering through painful traumas (of Reborn).

After subduing the opponents in a matter of minutes, Tsuna willed his flames to disperse, turning back to Jager. "You can tell the others to rest, the prisoners won't wake up for a few days."

Just as Jager wanted to voice that they should be extra cautious and place them back into the good cells that haven't been destroyed, rumbles were heard. He turned and saw Enma manipulating chunks of Earth with his gravity again, turning a spot in the corner into a rock-made prison cell. The boy then started tossing the unconscious bodies into it like there were... trash.

"... Vice?" One of the Vindice, Jack, voiced his uncertainty towards Jager.

The latter shook his head as a signal to not ask. "Go take the others to rest."

"You're not worried about the other prisoners that are running about the Vendicare layout?" Tsuna inquired with mild amusement.

Jager spared the more and more mysterious brunet a glance. "Why ask when you already know of the results."

"As confident in your Vendicare as ever," The other returned with a chuckle.

The Vice-Head narrowed his eyes but remained silent. There were somethings that he knew not to ask about.

Tsuna purposely disregarded Jager's reaction as he rubbed Natsu's ring, making said lion cub appear in a ball of Sky flames.

"Gao!"

"Go look around and help the Vindice deal with the rest of the runaway prisoners." Tsuna instructed as he petted Natsu on the head lightly. The lion cub gao'ed once before darting off into a distant tunnel in a fuzzy ball of Sky flames.

Tsuna took a pause, remembering something and turned to Jager again. "The core level hasn't been breached, right?"

"... Who are you looking for?" Jager knew the other wouldn't ask without reason. Most people that came to Vendicare (not that there were many in the first place) would usually come looking for bail associates out. But for those at the core level... it was neigh impossible because that was where they kept the more dangerous criminals that shouldn't ever resurfaced on Earth.

"Just a _tiny_ request," Tsuna grinned, empathizing pinching his index and thumb together.

Jager stared.

"... Okay, _maybe_ not that tiny." Tsuna wavered under Jager's gaze. Not because he was scared, but because he knew that his request was something only the head of Vindice could grant. "Is Mukuro Rokudo still imprisoned?"

"... are you requesting his release on behalf of Vongola?" Unexpectedly Jager had the intention to deal with this himself.

Tsuna raised a brow, but nodded. "Vongola Decimo's official initiation begins in a few days. All guardians must be present."

"If I remember correctly," Jager said thoughtfully. "Vongola Decimo's Mist is a girl by the name of Chrome Dokuro."

"You should know," The brunet smiled enigmatically. "The Mist is made up of both truths and lies, but it will never reveal its true selves." He paused, shaking his head and adding fondly, "That's the Vongola Mist for you, somethings there may be one, other times two. You'll never know which one is real, which is not."

"..." Jager stared at the brunet for a long time before making his way towards the core level of Vendicare. He didn't dare to short warp now that he had limited usage of Night flames. "You would make a more suitable candidate."

Tsuna blinked, then chuckled as he followed after the Vice-Head. "I have been told that a lot lately."

Jager didn't deign to comment, but to return to the topic. "I will allow his release if you make us a promise." The boy was strong, he knew. So maybe he could -

"Don't worry," Tsuna interrupted Jager's thoughts, his sunset-orange eyes flashed with conviction. "Nothing will happen to Bermuda and the Vindice."

"I hope it is so," Jager mumbled. Being a former Arcobaleno, though fallen, he could still faintly felt traces of off-kilter in the air. Bermuda even more so while holding the Clear Pacifier. He and Bermuda were afraid that someday - no, there might _not_ be a someday in the future if the disharmony continues. And there won't be a someday where they could take their revenge on Kawahira.

Both of them stopped in front of a cylindrical tank that held one Rokuda Mukuro in a forced vegetated state. The eerie bluish-green glow illuminated onto Tsuna's face as he looked up at his once-Mist guardian.

The image send ripples through his calm sunset-orange eyes, for in truth, he had never really saw his guardian in this state when they were young. Sleeping yet not, wrapped in chains and strained with numerous locks, floating within unknown liquid without a way to differentiate up and down, left and right as if their senses were completely stolen from them.

Has he - has _they_ been through this while he and Enma were fighting that time? Tsuna's heart constrict with guilt as he thought of how long it had took him to released them - even _longer_ Mukuro - from this wretched nightmare. He couldn't imagine how Enma had felt when his guardians were send to Vendicare one by one - by _his_ _and his guardians'_ _hands_. Even more so, he couldn't - _never_ \- imagine what would've been the result if not for the unexpected appearance of Daemon. It would've been either the tenth generation of Vongola or of Simon sending the other party into this dreadful place to sleep for eternity. All for the sake of a century-old misunderstanding.

Jager observed silently as the boy subconsciously balled up his hands into fists, a chaotic range of emotions flickering through strained eyes of an experience that a boy of this body shouldn't suffer from - _shouldn't?_

He shook his head, he didn't know why but he was soft on the boy. Perhaps it was because he saw the shadow of one of the few rare humans that he respected back in the days.

He brushed away the meaningless thoughts again and worked the controls to open the cap of the tube. There was a steamy - **_hissss_ ** \- as the metal hatch on top slowly cranked open.

Then without another word to the boy looking from below, Jager stuck his hand into the tank, grabbed onto the criminal's head like some sort of grocery, and lifted the latter out.

"..." Tsuna refuse to admit he was getting the image of Jager selling pineapples at a fruit stall.

* * *

 **I am soooo sorry for the long absence! That's partly due to exams (I jsut had my finals a few days ago T-T) but also writer's block because I had been unable to write further than last chapter for a while now. (I only finished it today.)**

 **I had trouble characterizing the Vindice, because honestly, I have no idea what they're like other than the whole vengeance and scary like the reaper part.** **I apologize if Bermuda and Jager are OOC. ^^'**

 **Also, turtles lives a long life, turtles swim through the sea, turtles don't stop moving from one place to another. Yeah? Yeah. (I'm talking about sea turtles FYI)**

 **Thanks to** _yola1996acuario, Yuki, Hyonnonnaises, Twilightgirl, Gammasol, tfaw, Jessicamathews65, Minerva's Collar, Anomnom.M, WildRosa13474, Beloved Daughter, NAG1NATA, ElysiumPhoenix, 6BlueSweaters, KK, 6BlueSweaters, Natsuyuuki, Anna, Cutiepee, rhizz17, Aira Aura, Jupiter27, vampireharry the 2, Shiroshi.2, EkiNana, Bell2629, Mikka235, Little Ms. Pumpkin, sousie, Ciel Blaze, ScarletRoofs, wildcat1144, Ingrid Mariane Black, Narya Anima, PhantomCielo27, Breath After Death, thor94, makubex000, Chew Chew, , NariStacieLin2364, D C JoKeR H S, SaoriK, TheMeWhoIsMe27, MayaHikari, TheSilverHunt3r, SakuraKoi , Lunapok, ShotaroxPhillip, deelfire, CaleidoscopeSi, Allykrau, G4rd3n, YokaiAngel_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	36. A Question of Insanity

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Enma arrived just in time to see this picture. Other that a twitch of his lips that threatened to curve into an smile, his expression was kept neutral (with great effort) as he made his way to Tsuna while Jager was dragging one Rokudo Mukuro down, trails of water at the semi-conscious teen's wake.

He noticed that his companion seemed to be more melancholic than before he had came down to the core level. He thought for a moment in silent, his eyes discreetly moved around to survey the surrounding until - _oh._

He wasn't Tsuna's best friend for nothing. He knew what was going through that head of Tsuna's, because if he put himself in the other's shoe, he might've been even _worse_ off - because _he_ drove them down that path that time as he waited for Tsuna to come fight with him.

Adjusting his mentality, Enma heaved a soundless sigh. One person feeling down was enough, there was no need for another one. Besides, the way the pine - he meant _Rokudo,_ was taken out distracted both of them from the forlorn atmosphere from moments prior.

Again, Enma was deserving of being called Tsuna's best friend. Because the exact same ludicrous image had ran across his mind, which was _really_ unsuitable for the situation right now - but he couldn't help it! Mukuro had always been self-conscious about his hairstyle, even though he _could've_ changed it (the last time someone suggested that Mukuro should change his hairstyle didn't have a very good ending), so _most_ people tried their best to keep it to themselves. (Tsuna and his family and friends not included.)

"Tsuna?"

"Hm?" The brunet blinked, the strange look on his face disappeared as he realized that Enma had finished throwing the criminals back into jail and was now next to him. He spared the other's suppressed snickering face a glance before inhaling a deep breath, "I often wonder _why_ he has that hairstyle. Is it natural like that?"

"Beats me," Enma shrugged nonchalantly before clicking his tongue in pity. "Wish I have a camera. Reborn would _frame_ this and hang it on the most noticeable wall in Vongola Mansion."

Tsuna's mouth twitched. He would never voice his agreement with Enma. _Never_.

The conversation had fortunately (or unfortunately) ended there because Jagger had came back down, tossing the still unconscious illusionist onto the steel hard floor.

Tsuna and Enma had, subconsciously, moved away when remnants of the unknown liquid that had been in the tank had almost splashed onto them when Rokudo was thrown on the floor.

Jagger rather not comment on how they seemed to be avoiding the now-free convict like a plague when they were the one that wanted the convict freed.

"Our OCD is getting worse." Enma commented, staring at the pool of strangely glowing liquid pooling around Rokudo but didn't have any notion of wanting to get near.

"I blame Reborn," Tsuna grumbled before forcibly ignoring his conditioned mysophobia (courtesy of you know who) and walking towards Rokudo. He reach out his hand with the intention to check if the illusionist was okay when the latter sudden twitched.

Tsuna, his Intuition being alert as it was, moved his outstretched hand away from Rokudo's sudden grasping one - an instinctive reaction, Tsuna knew, towards unknown presences. His face fixed into a boy-ish grin towards the now awake Rokudo. "Not fast enough, Rokudo-san."

"You..." Rokudo stared widely at the sight of one Sawada Tsunayoshi in _Vendicare_. That shouldn't be - wasn't the brunet still in Japan? Although he may know that Sawada Tsunayoshi was not who he seemed to be, Rokudo still didn't think much of the brunet's capabilities.

Enma clicked his tongue - and thereby announcing his presence as well - at Rokudo. "No wonder you were easily dealt with."

"..." Jagger wanted to point out that Rokudo Mukuro was one of the more dangerous criminals they've caught - which meant he should _not,_ in any way, be easily dealt with.

"Since you're awake," Tsuna ignored the glare that Rokudo gave his best friend. "Then you should get up. We're getting you out of here."

"Kufufu..." Rokudo chuckled almost sarcastically but got up as told nonetheless. "And how do you think we're going to escape _Vendicare_?"

Enma raised a brow and nudged his head towards Jagger, grinning. "Because we're buddies~!"

Jagger whipped his head around so suddenly towards Enma that he almost got a whiplash, but he didn't care about that. He was looking at the teen incredulously - as Rokudo was too - when redhead had dropped an unprecedented bomb. Jagger didn't think anyone _sane_ enough would personally announce their apparent 'friendship' with the Vindince - Rokudo even more so.

"... Am I missing something here?" The illusionist, for once, forgone his creepy laugh and had, instead, took on a blank expression.

Tsuna sweatdropped, but he quickly shook his head helplessly at Enma's sudden impulse to mess with Rokudo's - and consequently, Jagger's - head. Honestly, the brunet opined that Enma had been more affected by Reborn than he did. (If Enma were to know Tsuna's current thoughts, he would've rolled his eyes and shout denounced: 'hypocrite!')

"Oh, you missed a _lot_ of things," Enma chirped, looking all too gladly to tell the tale.

"Enma, save story time for later." Of course, Tsuna wouldn't let him continue messing around or they would never get anywhere. "We have a to-do list to finish."

"... we do?" Enma faltered and gave the brunet a blank look. "Since when?"

"Since we have silently agreed to have one in our head." Tsuna rolled his eyes and tapped his head mockingly.

"The hell? I don't remember that!"

"As long as I'm able to remember," Tsuna spared the complaining Enma a glance. "Then it exists."

"..." Where's the logic in that?

Tsuna then tossed another sentence that the other had said to him only a while ago - just to strike Enma when he was down. "That's what best friends are for, right?"

"... We should just go back to being birds." Enma solemnly suggested with his arms folded across his chest.

Jagger and Rokudo felt lost within the conversation that Tsuna and Enma was engaging in - rather, they felt that it was pure nonsense. Particularly Rokudo.

The Mist stared between the two teens - who were _supposed_ to be younger than himself - and got the feeling that they knew each other longer than the time they had told everyone. His brows furrowed, thoughts wandering back to that time he had intruded into Sawada Tsunayoshi's mindscape. He then connected point A to point B and an absurd thought made him shudder in cold sweat.

Finding how similar the two teenagers were, perhaps Kozato Enma was the same as Sawada Tsunayoshi - a man in a teen's body...?

That conclusion seemed ludicrous, to be honest, but Rokudo wasn't prone to deny any possibilities when it came to anything that revolves around Sawada Tsunayoshi.

His brows furrowed when that particular thought flickered through his mind. He wasn't familiar with the brunet per se, so why would he have this certainty (as if it was a _given_ ) that _nothing_ goes right whenever Tsuna was involved? It wasn't the first time as well, because there was something tugging at -

"For Christ's sake, Enma," Tsuna's exasperation snapped Rokudo out of his wandering thoughts. "Lions belong in the Savannah! Not the Amazon!" He paused and added, "That is... if someone didn't just suddenly felt like relocating their habitats..."

"We all know who would do that," The redhead rolled his eyes but then came to an abrupt halt. "Hold on a minute, how did we get from the Vendicare to lions for all things?"

"..."

That was something Rokudo and Jagger wanted to know too.

Tsuna facepalmed and Rokudo heard him mumbling something along the lines of 'why can't we ever stay on one single topic?'

"Gao~!" A ball of furry orange flames bounced through the room and landed on Tsuna's shoulder. In the next moment, the flames disperse and Natsu appeared wagging his tail. "Gao Gao!"

Hearing his animal partner's report, Tsuna scratched the latter on the head with a smile. "Good job Natsu."

"..." Rokudo just stared, because that obviously wasn't helmet-wearing lion cub with a mane that was made of Sky flames. Even if it _was_ a lion, what the hell was with the 'gao'? Where was the roar that signifies the King of Beasts' might and prestige?!

Noticing Rokudo's incredulity, Tsuna chuckled. "This is Natsu, Rokudo-san. He's my animal companion."

"... That's a cat, right?" Rokudo couldn't help but ask.

Natsu's ear twitched and his tail told on ends as a show of indignation. "Gao!"

"Lion." Tsuna corrected, soothing an irked lion cub by stroking his head. "There's not a big difference, Natsu. A Lion is just a really large cat."

"Gao..." Natsu was still not quelled, but Tsuna didn't bother further with his animal partner's identity-complex.

"If that's how you console your pet, I love to see how you scold friends." Enma retorted out of habit.

"You've seen how I have done that." Tsuna coolly replied, frowning. "Setting all of these unrelated topics aside, Jagger has promised to free you Rokudo-san." His sunset-orange eyes shifted towards the illusionist. That gaze of his effectively forced whatever doubts Rokudo had back down his throat. "You don't need to know what were the terms to your release, it's not something you should be involved in."

Hearing that last sentence, Rokudo had the sudden urge to defy it (as Mukuro would when someone - especially Tsuna and Kyouya - told him he couldn't do something). He could only reason that feeling as indignation because Tsuna seemed to be underestimating his abilities. "Kufufu, do you think -"

"I'm not looking down on you - or any of Vongola's guardians." Tsuna cut in, knowing what the Mist was thinking with but a glance at the latter's indignant gaze. His sunset-orange gaze glinted with a certain light as he stared hard at Rokudo. "But overestimating your _own_ capabilities cause more harm than not. Do you really think you even have the _right_ to negotiate with the Vindice, much less making a deal with them, with how you are now?"

Rokudo grimaced at the harshness of Tsuna's words, but he refused to back down. "And what makes _you_ have any rights to do so?"

"What rights do I have?" Tsuna raised a brow, lips curled into a sarcastic smile as if he found something laughable. "More than you think, _Rokudo Mukuro._ "

"Now, now," Enma, who had only been an audience until now, chuckled as he stepped forward and giving Tsuna a whack upside the head. "Shouldn't we cut the chitchat for latter."

"That was so not appreciated, Enma." The brunet glared at his best friend. _I'm trying to get him to learn a bit of self-awareness here!_

 _I doubt he'll be learning that anytime soon._ Enma rolled his eyes. "Please, I don't think anyone listens to you, Tsuna."

"..." Tsuna fell into momentary silence after getting the underlying message. He then shot a glance at the still obstinate Mist and relented in defeat. He hated to admit it, but his words would go in one ear and out the other most of the time whenever he tried to scold his guardians. He supposed that was something that couldn't be changed even when they were in another world and time.

"You're all still so stubborn." He finally concluded and closed his eyes, readjusting the complicated emotions within before opening them back up. "Well, time is ticking. We should get you back to Vongola Mansion before the Inheritance Ceremony -" He shot a look at Rokduo, who was about to open his mouth again. " - and I don't _care_ for your renouncement of not being part of Vongola after getting your freedom. _I'm_ the one who freed you in the first place so you're coming with us and that's final."

"If you're oh-so unwilling, we're _more_ than happy to tied you up and drag you through the sky while we fly!" Enma, being the great helper that he was, supplemented. "I'm _sure_ Jagger has some anti-flame chains that we can borrow." He turned, grinning at said Vindice. "Right, Vice-Head of Vendicare?"

"..." Jagger unconsciously tightened his grip of his precious chains.

"We're in the Italian Alps just so you know," Tsuna added in monotone as if Enma's threat wasn't being clear enough. "And we can also fly ourselves... but would you be preferred to be dragged by _us_ or..."

" _Or..._ " Enma's ear-splitting grin wouldn't be more wider as Tsuna was just one button away to speed-dialing _Byakuran_. "... be dragged by a high-tech jet that's probably in need of a test-flight in high altitudes after receiving upgraded engines by two teenage engineers - or so I've heard."

"Don't worry," Tsuna patted very sympathetically on Mukuro's shoulder... but why doesn't the latter feel comforted at all?! "Even if it does explode midway, we'll be sure to keep your corpse intact."

"..." Mukuro no longer denied seeing the devil's pointed tails twirling behind the two teens who were voicing each other's thoughts like twins.

Revenge was a dish best served cold, wasn't it?

.

.

.

As the Hyper-Duo left with a reluctant Rokudo Mukuro in toll, they didn't realized they had timely missed the head of CEDEF with his two trusted subordinates coming in demand of the exact person they had just took.

Jagger stared at one Sawada Ietmitsu and his subordinates, Oregano and Turmeric. His gazed remained on the man for several long seconds (enough to give the Vongola members the chills, wondering if they had done something to offend the Vice-Head without knowing) while making cross comparisons in his head.

His conclusion?

There was conspiracy in there! Sawada Tsunayoshi must have been adopted and there was another Vongola Primo line somewhere out the in the world, maybe hidden in the mountains or on an island - like the Simons.

The more he thought about it, the more Jagger was convinced of his own theory. He was about to subconscious nod to his thoughts when he caught himself in the act - he refused to admit that he was lost in his thoughts while dealing a transaction with mafiosi (that wouldn't give the Vindice a good image and if Bermuda finds out, he was going to be _skinned_ alive - or dead, however one wanted to see it).

He glanced - _glared_ at the trio that clearly warned 'if you say one word about this, I'm going to confine you in Vendicare for life.'

"..." Iemitsu and his subordinates very much wanted to say that they were innocent.

 _"Ahem,"_ Jagger cleared his thought, getting the attention the CEDEF members. _"The person you're looking for is no longer in Vendicare, hence, the deal you made with us is hereby null and void."_

.

.

.

" ** _WHAT?!_** "

* * *

The Inheritance Ceremony will be in full swing in half a week, therefore, everyone within Vongola Mansion was bustling about, preparing for it. Ienari had been pulled left and right because with Vongola Nono currently unable to get out of bed, he was to make the decision for the various arrangements around the HQ.

One especially important one was the seating arrangements. Because even though the Families that they invited were allied with Vongola and a few who were neutral but in good relationships with Vongola, it didn't mean they would get along with those who _weren't_ Vongola. Hence, Ienari was currently getting a 101 in which Family gets along with whom and which would be a good mediator to those who would be at each other's throat upon sight (Preferably, Reborn suggested, Vongola should be spread out in the seating arrangements because since they were the alliance head, Vongola was the best mediator.)While making the seating chart, he also had to take into consideration the guests' personality and their preferences and who should be closer to the main table and - and it was driving Ienari _nuts._

However, as much as he wanted to flip the table, he couldn't. Not in front of so many of mafiosi. He had lived in Italy for a short period of time in his childhood, after all, and he had been trained to keep his emotions in check for the better part of the day when in front of his subordinates.

In their eyes, he was Sawada Ienari, the one who was going to inherit all of Vongola and rebuilt it back from ground up. He felt pressured - again and again _and again_ ( _whywhywhy?) -_ but he had to be professional, be better at any and everything, be a boss, or they'll all look down-

 ** _Whack!_**

\- "The f*** Reborn..." Ienari grumbled, used to the throbbing aches on his head by now.

Said infant hitman merely gave his student a fleeting glance before looking down at the mess of crisscrossing lines between the Vongola-Allied Giegue, Nuevo, Beccio Famiglia, and the neutral Bertesca Famiglia

If he hadn't known any better, he would've thought his student was trying to solve a crime with all those random jotted notes, posits, and photos.

He restrained from sighing, he wasn't going to do Ienari's work for him. The teen needed to learn how to use that brain of his in the field. However... what he noticed of the tenth generation was the tension that was starting to built up again when they arrived at the mansion, and it was getting worse the closer it was to the ceremony.

He was just glad that their mentality was not affected much other than longing for home in Namimori.

Reborn knew the source of these kids problems were Vongola itself, but he couldn't just tell them to quit. 'Quitting' was not in his dictionary, but more important, that goddamned contract he had with Nono. (Reborn would be lying if he didn't feel any connections with these teenagers. The hitman had poured his blood and sweat into these guys for more than two years, and he wasn't going to let all of his effort go to waste.)

"Nari, don't regress."

"... huh?" Ienari blinked, obviously not in the same wavelength as the hitman.

Reborn wasn't one to say things twice, hence, he turned and pointed at the door. "Go see how the others are doing."

"What could they be -"

"You may be their boss," Reborn pushed his fedora up and shot Ienari a sharp look. "But your guardians' roles are no less important than yours. Remember, they're your _pillars_."

"..." Ienari stared at his tutor for several long seconds before inhaling a deep breath and releasing some stress he was feeling while massaging his temple with one hand. "I - sorry - I know. I won't forget."

Reborn looked at his student impassively, not a trace of emotion passing through his beady black eyes. He clicked his tongue after a short moment. "And you better not forget what Tsuna told you either."

"... I would never." Ienari mumbled softly, but it didn't go unheard through Reborn's sharp hearing. The latter couldn't help the curling of his lips. Tsuna may have helped throw Ienari and his guardians back on the right track, but now they seemed a bit... well, _too_ reliant on the brunet.

Letting out an unnoticeable sigh, Reborn made a mental note to discuss this with Tsuna in the near future.

"Your father is making a deal with the Vindice to free your Mist so only Basil and La Mirch is taking care the CEDEF HQ if you need to something from them," Reborn reported to change the topic.

Ienari straightened his spine instantly in alert. "Wait, _Mukuro's_ going to -"

"And the Caracassa is still pending for the official admittance in the alliance." Reborn, of course, didn't care for what his student has to say.

"You guys never explained to me _why_ Caracassa had the sudden change -"

"One more thing, Xanxus wants to see you in two hours."

"..." Ienari was _petrified_. If there was anyone he feared dealing other than Reborn, Hibari, and Rokudo, then it would be Vongola Xanxus. Sure, Xanxus was his uncle-not-by-blood but he hadn't forgotten the conflict two years back, when the man had wanted to _murder_ him - and was the first one to _almost_ succeed too. Xanxus may have held his temper better now (not much better though), but they relationship was... well, there were no familial bond between them. At all.

Xanxus never had - and he vowed he never _will_ \- acknowledge Ienari as the sole heir to Vongola. One of the most worrying thoughts he had with this upcoming ceremony was the possibility of Xanxus rallying up another coup d'état. (Xanxus wouldn't do that when it wouldn't benefit Vongola in any way during this critical period so it was very obvious that Ienari was working himself over nothing, but the blonde didn't know that.)

He doubted very much he could beat Xanxus. He hadn't been able to before - and had only won the right to the Vongola Sky ring because Xanxus was related to the Vongola line by blood.

Thinking back, he had, rather, been quite arrogant and confident that he could win. However, failure after failure crushed that confidence of his to the ground till what it had been before Tsuna socked him in the head.

"What..." Ienari pursed his lips, he didn't like where this was going. "What does he want...?"

"To fight." At the flabbergasted, but paling look Reborn received, he added, "If he likes what he sees, then he won't say a thing during the ceremony - his words, not mine."

"..." Ienari sighed in defeat, shoulders slumped as he submit to his fate.

Reborn watched as Ienari moped in the corner. His student was really hopeless, wasn't he? As he was thinking of what kind of methods he should get his student out of his brooding, Leon crawl down from his perch and transformed in a phone.

There were two incoming calls. One was from Iemitsu, on his open channel while the other one was on his private one.

Reborn narrowed his eyes darkly. There weren't that many people who knew of his private line - the list could probably be couldn't on two hands - and of those who knew, they should all be aware of his policy for calling through the private channel. They wouldn't call through the private channel unless it was the end of the world or that his favorite brand of coffee beans was discontinued.

Also, as he was updated with his colleagues situations just recently, none of them should be having any kind of world-ending crisis at the moment. So, who was this unknown caller flashing through the screen?

Knowingly, a sense of unease made its way into his heart. He had been feeling unsettled as of late, and it was mostly having to do with being an Arcobaleno and having the ability to sense the recent increasingly unstable Laws. Adding to this call, that sensation heightened tenfold.

Reborn shook his head, mentally berating himself for dawdling unfounded hypotheses. If he wanted the answers, he would get them by answering the phone.

"Nari, I expect that chart at least readable by the end of two hours," Reborn gave his student one stubborn student one last glance before leaving the office of the future Decimo as he answered the one calling on private first, putting Iemitsu on hold.

"Who is this?"

* * *

Byakuran played with his phone, a heavy atmosphere weighing around him as he blinked and stared off into the distance, his eyelids slitting open to reveal slightly glowing violet orbs as if he had entered into his own world and no one but him would known what he was seeing. The tightness that was a constant presence in his chest constricted even more, but his face betrayed none of his inner turmoil emotions.

Although he could sense the presence of Laws as the other parts of the Trinisette, but as the Sky Mare of the horizontal axis, he was the only one who could sense the stability of parallel worlds as if it was right under his feet. (It was a completely different concept to when he needed to enter a comatose state to come into contact with his parallel selves, because that would've been a breach in the fundamental laws governing the horizontal axis. Hence, why it had required so much energy.)

It wasn't, by any means, in a good condition. He felt that with just a twist and a turn, the world was going to flip upside down. Then again, Byakuran mulled, there was a good reason why he had fallen the first time - which he only found out after he and his infinitely many parallel selves analysed it bit by bit.

The horizontal axis was, by no means, perfect in the first place.

He pushed the thoughts away, bringing his attention up towards the helicopter that was going to land at his mansion's in-built landing pad. He saw the emblem of Giglio Nero on its body, knowing that his best friend had returned.

He saw the young girl waving through the window as the helicopter descended, and a curve of a smile made its onto his lips as he waved back. But at another thought of the uncertain future, he paused, his smile immediately retracted back as his bangs blocked his eyes.

In contrast to his carefree attitude, he also have things to protect. If the enemy dared to harm a harm on those he viewed important, he wouldn't mind chasing them until the ends of parallel worlds for all of eternity if he had to.

"Byakuran!"

When he looked back up at his descending companion, he was the bright and cheerful Byakuran once more. "Yuni-chan! Tsu-chan called and said he and En-chan will be at Venice soon so we should hurry!"

* * *

 _"Thank you so much for the ride!"_ Tsuna spoke to the nice truck driver that had been willing to give the three of them a lift at the base of the Italian Alps (with the excuse that the three of them were touring with their family at Venice but had found themselves five or six hours away from said city after losing their one and only map).

 _"No problem kiddo!"_ The man grinned from the driver's seat, but when changed into that of worry after looking at the setting sun _. "But do you need help findin' your family? Night time ain't particularly safe 'ere in Venice."_

Tsuna and Enma a quick glance at each other before the former reassured, _"We'll be fine Signor, we know where they are_. _"_

The man hesitated, but relented in the end and started back his truck's engine. _"Then have enjoy your stay in Italy kids."_

Tsuna and Enma waved until the truck was no longer within sight. Rokudo had been silent for the entire durance like the obedient boy that he was. He had learned that it was best not to try to toy with the two eccentric teens if he didn't want trouble coming his way. Besides, he still respected Tsuna because of that time, so he wasn't going to cause a fuss when it was unnecessary.

"I'm exhausted..."

However... Rokudo eyed the supposed-Japanese brunet who claimed to be a civilian. Since when did he learn to speak Italian so fluently? And it was to the point that he needed no pause when he switched between Italian and Japanese to boot!

"Who wouldn't after suffering from a jet lag but continue to stay awake for two days and two nights straight beating two mafia families, climbed the Alps, made a tunnel _through_ the Alps, dealt with the Vindice -" Enma paused in his grumbling for a moment before continuing. "- and if we're planning another overnighter, that would be three and in counting... I wonder how we're still alive..." (Of course, that last part was mumbled under his breath)

Rokudo stared at the duo as if they each grew two heads. " _What_ did you just say?"

Enma looked at the Mist strangely. "How we're still alive?"

"No, the other one!"

"Planning an overnighter?"

"No, before that one!"

"... Which one?" Enma's eyes rolled around for a moment as he counted off with his hand. "Vindice, tunnel, Alps, mafia, or the jet lag?"

Rokudo's eye twitched. He was getting the feeling that he was getting played here. He was being played, wasn't he? Definitely. "Mafia."

"Oh," Enma blinked innocently. "What about it?"

Rokudo was _this_ close to take out his trident and stab the redhead in the face.

"Ahem," Tsuna pressed down a laugh with a cough. "Enough messing around -" Rokudo shot the brunet a look of grievance (did it look like he was messing around? The other was obviously the one messing with _him_!) " - and if we could find a place to stay for the night, then we won't have to be night owls for much longer."

"I propose we sneak into Vongola." Enma suggested with a very serious tone. "It'll be a piece of cake!"

"..." Rokudo admit that Vongola's security wasn't what it used to be, but does the redhead _had_ to be this open about it?

"Enma," Tsuna couldn't help but blurted in a helpless manner. "There are doors, y'know. Since when did you hop into the bandwagon and not use them?"

"..." A very good question indeed. Enma genuinely took time to ponder about that one while Rokudo was wondering if doors were really the problem here. Wasn't trespassing into Vongola territory without permission a huge problem in and of itself?

... The illusionist decided that he could not wrap his head around the minds of the mental.

"You're not any better yourself," Tsuna rolled his eyes at Rokudo when he saw the other's expression. He paused, looking rather offended. "And we're _not_ insane!"

"What -"

"Your face."

"..." He was getting insulted wasn't he? Wasn't he?!

"No, I'm advising you to keep your expressions in check," Tsuna voiced Rokudo's thoughts again before throwing his hands into the air in exasperation. "I have told you people _so_ many times about that flaw and getting tired of bothering with it! Start learning to hide your emotions better for pete's sake!"

"I got it!" Enma exclaimed all of a sudden, gaining the attention of the other two. "Doors are mostly constructed out of wood, so they don't even provide a good enpugh protection in the first place - Hell, you blasted through Vendicare's _iron_ door like it was paper! It's also a waste of time to use them because you have to first knock or ring the door bell, then wait for however long and there might not even be anyone there to open it in the first place. Do you _know_ what we could do in that waiting time? Even if it was just a few seconds? I could read a page of report in that time, y'know! Besides, doors are made for normal people to use, hence, we deign to use them."

Tsuna: "..."

Rokudo: "..."

Tsuna _really_ didn't want to admit he kind of saw the logic in Enma's epiphany, because he would then feel like an idiot for spending part of the budget on a door that people kept destroying for all those years.

Rokudo shot the brunet a mocking look. _If you dare say you guys are still not insane, then I'll walk the path of Christianity and go around the world preaching the Holy Bible from the bottom of my heart_.

The former Vongola Decimo pretended not to see the illusionist's silent ridicule, because what else could he say? Just the fact that they had stayed awake accomplishing all of that was a test of their mentality. Granted, they had countless experience of sleepless nights back in their world because of the state of warfare, which could explain how they're still holding up and operating (even if they were solely relying on the adrenaline from the adrenal medulla of their adrenal glands) despite being sleep-deprived.

Looking at his two companions' expressions, Enma suddenly felt he spoke at the wrong time. "What's wrong?"

"... nothing," _Just that you just openly confirmed that we have a few screw loose_. Tsuna sighed and massaged his temple wit one of his hands. Why does he get the feeling that the longer they didn't get a good night's rest, the more twisted their mentality was going to become?

Understanding Tsuna's underlying messaging, Enma sweatdropped and laughed awkwardly. But he didn't want to admit that the real reason was because he was actually getting addicted to busting down doors after the last few times - he was starting to understanding why his and Tsuna's guardians were so keen on destroying doors. (Upon that thought, a rational part of Enma now agreed with Tsuna. They needed rest, or they'll _really_ loose that last shred of sanity that they have left.)

"Well..." Enma very tactfully changed the topic. "Since infiltrating is out of the question, then don't we have Reborn's number? He can probably get someone to pick us up."

Tsuna was about to reply when something caught his eyes, and it made his lips arced up into a grin. "There's someone even more convenient nearby."

"Eh?" Enma followed his line of sight, eyes lighting up when he also saw the too-familiar mess of blonde hair. "Great idea!"

Rokudo had also followed their gazes across the street and his suspicion rose another level. Since when were they on familiar terms of Chiavarone Dino?

In the next moment, the illusionist felt two pairs of eyes on his body. He shivered as he met their gazes, unconsciously taking a step back. "What?"

"Well," Tsuna started. "Dino doesn't know us, but since he's the former student of Reborn..."

"... While Ienari is the current student, they should know each other," Enma continued. "Which means, Dino knows Ienari's guardians as well."

"So you two want me to go as him get us into Vongola mansion?" Rokudo summarized in a deadpan. Did he overthink it? These two didn't seem to be familiar the Chiavarone Don. Those information they spoke of should've came from Reborn himself? Seeing how the Sun Arcobaleno trusted them and all.

However... Rokudo pointed at said Don who was conducting some kind of business inside an expensive looking restaurant but negotiation seems to be failing by the looks of it. "Can't you tell he's busy?"

"Negotiating with the Serpentine Familgia?" It may have been a question but with just a glance, Tsuna was able to confirm which Family the Chiavarone Don was dealing with.

Tsuna narrowed his eyes, his mind flipping through all the information he had known of the Serpentine Family from his previous world - be it through reports or through personal experience. Like it's name, sinister and tricky to deal with. On the surface, it should be a neutral family but they were only waiting for the right moment to strike. They cooperate based solely on benefits and once those benefits were used up, they would either swallow the other party or leave them to slowly deteriorate.

They had once tried to worm their way into Vongola once, but Tsuna wouldn't have none of it. He wasn't going to let a poisonous snake loose in his territory if he could help it.

"It's better if that negotiation fails," Tsuna remarked calmly as he picked up a small pebble from the road. "The Serpentines were never a good candidate of an ally to begin with."

"What are you -" Before Rokudo could finish, Tsuna had already pulled his arm back behind his head then - with a concentrated amount of Sun flames in that arm - he thrust it forward and - **_Crack!_**

There was now a hole in the glass window of the restaurant with a web of cracks around it. Behind the window was one stunned Chiavarone Dino and his men facing a knocked out Right-Hand of the Serpentine Don who - if Tsuna was correctly - was about to get physical.

"Nice pitch," Enma applaud nonchalantly while the mafiosi were snapping out of their daze and now looking towards them. "You have been practicing?"

"Not as good as Takeshi unfortunately," Tsuna sighed with a sake of his head, ignoring the screeches of cars as the men in black approached them. "Had to rely on extra help."

Rokudo sweatdropped at how casual the conversation seemed to be. "Do you not realize what you just did?" And did they not realize that there'll be leads in their heads any moment now?

"Un," Tsuna nodded, keeping attention to the incoming mafiosi from the corner of his eyes. Heck, he wasn't even fazed at the warning shot that almost grazed his cheek as it flew into the wall behind him. "Helping Dino to deal with nasty pest problem. Do you know what's the best way of exterminate snakes?"

"..." Rokudo decided wisely that he should shut up or this conversation would make a one-eighty turn to something completely unrelated.

Tsuna, knowing what the other was thinking, chuckled and answered his own question with a boyish grin."It's pull out their fangs so they'll as harmless as flies."

 _"Brats, which one of you shot that?"_ One of the mafiosi demanded when they came close.

 _"Shot?"_ Enma raised a brow. _"We didn't shoot that."_

 _"You're a hundred years too early to think you can get away with lying to us."_ Another spoke, his finger tightening on the trigger of his pistol. _"You hit our Boss's -"_

 _"Seriously, we didn't shoot it,"_ Enma cut the mafioso off with scorn. _"We_ threw _it."_

"..."

 _"Also, what do you mean why a hundred years too early?"_ Enma looked the man up and down as he questioned almost sarcastically. _"You're not actually over a century old right, sir - or should I call you grandpa?"_

 _"You...!"_ The mafioso was rendered completely speechless and steaming with anger.

 _"Yes, I'm me."_ Enma nodded very sincerely,knowing full well that he was igniting the other's anger. _"How did you know?"_

 _"Hey, hey,"_ The man was just about to pull the trigger when a whip wrapped around the pistol and pulled it out of his hands. They all looked in the direction of the whip and saw Dino at the other end. _"They're just ki - Murkuro?!"_

Dino stared in shock as the men moved back enough for him to see the illusionist. He quickly crossed the street with his men in tow, arriving in front of Rokudo within seconds. _"You - I know that Iemitsu went to make a deal with the Vindice for your release but I didn't expect it to be successful!"_

"..." Rokudo raised a brow and subconscious shifted his gaze towards Tsuna as if silently asking if he should reveal the truth.

 _"Eh~"_ Tsuna hummed, gaining the blonde's attention. _"So we just missed him?"_

Dino blinked, wondering if he was imagining things - because why the hell does the kid in front of him looked so much like the portrait of Vongola Primo hanging in Vongola Mansion's drawing room? _"You -"_

 _"Don Chiavarone,"_ Interrupted a deep alto with an underlying menace to it. The owner of that voice slowly walked across the street towards them. He was a bit pale compared to most people, as if he didn't go out into the sun too often. Slick black hair that seemed to have been overdosed with gel by how shiny it was. His physique was rather slim, but his sharp eyes made up for his unhealthy appearance. _"Are you suppose to give me an explanation?"_

 _"Explain - oh!"_ DIno slapped himself on the forehead and laughed. _"Sorry Don Serpentine, about what happened earlier, I didn't expect someone to knock out one of your men-"_

 _"Which one of them did it?"_ The Serpentine Don narrowed his eyes at Tsuna's group of three.

Serpentine Dante, Tsuna noted, was better composed than the ex-Carcassa boss that he dealt with. A firm back, calm composer despite the assault earlier, and a natural flair. Of course, when it came to these kind of things and more, Tsuna and Enma wouldn't lose out.

 _"Signor, you're going to have to specify which action you want us to confirm."_ Tsuna threw back, still smiling like the harmless teenager that he appeared to be. However, he didn't seemed the least bit affected the chilling atmosphere that settled the moment the Serpentine Don arrived. _"As well as the time, because for all we know, you might want us to admit something that we did last week - which, by the way, is considered stalking. Very creepy if you don't mind me saying."_

 _"Don't play games with me, kid,"_ An unpleasant smile curled his lips. _"Do you know who we are?"_

 _"Ha ha,"_ Dino chose this time to intercept with the intention to shield Tsuna with no other reason other than the fact that he resembled Vongola Primo and seemed to be friends with Rokudo. _"Kids these days, y'know? How about we go back to our discussion -"_

 _"Do you think I'm still in the mood for discussion?"_ Dante shot back icily. _"If this group of brats are related to Vongola, then I demand an explanation as to why Vongola had injured one of its allied members."_

Beads of sweat ran down Dino's temple as his mind raced for a possible solution to this situation. The Serpentine don, he knew, was difficult to deal with, but for the sake of trying to strengthen Vongola and its alliance, he had to tolerate that attitude of his. However, just as he was about to speak, Tsuna beat him to it.

 _"Signor, did you just say you're allied with Vongola?"_ Tsuna was still smiling, but there was danger lurking in his sunset-orange eyes. Then without waiting for a response, his gaze swept towards Dino and Rokudo. _"Answer. Now."_

Dino blinked blankly at the sudden flair of aura that was no less than that of boss - heck, it might even overtake him in demeanor! Was the kid related to someone in the higher echelon of the mafia? _"Um..."_

 _"Yes,"_ Rokudo's answer was blunt. _"For two years now."_

 _"... Murkuro?"_ Dino gave saidd boy a strange look. Why did the latter seemed so... obedient?

 _"Oh, I see,"_ Tsuna nodded to himself, his smile slowly disappearing from sight. _"It seems I was unable to prevent the pests from smuggling themselves in."_

Enma clicked his tongue. _"Who was the idiot that allowed that anyways?"_

 _"... Iemitsu."_ Rokduo deadpanned. _"He thought it might be a good idea for a relationship with the Serpentines."_

"..." The redhead turned towards his best friend. _"What did I tell ya?"_

"..." Tsuna massaged him temple, preventing the throbbing vein from bulging any further. Sleep-deprived and in dire need of a good long rest, Tsuna's patience with these things were wearing thin. _"Enma, I'm_ tired _." Please, let's just finish this quickly._

 _"Alright,"_ Enma heard his best friend's request. His gaze went back to the baffled group of mafiosi as a grin widened on his face, showing his set of white teeth. In the next moment, the was a certain hum which was then promptly followed by the members of the Serpentines feeling a pressure on top of them, catching them unprepared as they dropped straight down on the ground, unable to get back up.

 _"If you don't want your bones crushed, I suggest you don't try to get up,"_ Enma lowered his raised hand, his eyes indifferent as he stared at the mafiosi littering the ground.

 _"What the - !"_ Dino and his men were flabbergasted at the sudden change of events. They were all wondering what Enma had done to make all of Serpentine lying flat on the ground.

 _"What did you do?!"_ Dante demanded with a grunt. _"If you don't release me right now, then forget about the Serpentine ever helping -"_

 _"Help?"_ Tsuna cut in, his voice one of disdain. He walked forward step by step, with a certain rhythm of lethal grace in his gait, until he stood in front of the falling don and looking down from his lofty peak. _"Do you think I'll believe a word that you say, Dante Serpentine? I don't even need my Hyper Intuition to know that you're lying."_

 _"Hyper Intuition - wait, wait, wait,"_ Dino turned towards Rokudo while pointing at Tsuna. _"Did I hear that right?"_

 _"Loud and clear, Dino,"_ Enma was the one who responded as he tucked his hands into his pant pockets. _"Why else do you think he looks like Vongola Primo?"_

 _"Wha - how do you -"_

 _"Kozato Enma,"_ The redhead decided that it was about time for an introduction. _"Direct line of Simon Primo. And my friend over there dealing with the pest is Sawada Tsunayoshi, older twin of Sawada Ienari. I don't think there's a need to say any more on his ancestry, no?"_

 _"Twin."_ Dino reiterated, his jaws couldn't drop any further or it would dislocate. _"Twin?! Since when did Nari have a twin?!"_

 _"Do you want to official version, or the inside version?"_

 _"... What?"_ There were different versions?!

 _"Enma."_ Tsuna gave the other a look. _"Does it look like it's the right time for chit chat?"_

 _"No,"_ Enma looked up at the night sky. _"It looks like the right time to crash in Dino's place_. _"_ Enma paused, realizing a technical detail as he turned to a now rather dumbstruck Dino. _"We need a place to sleep, Dino. Can we crash at your place tonight?"_

Ignoring the conversation in the back, Tsuna turned his attention back to the man lying in front of him. His eyes glowing an eerie-orange that was especially prominent during the night with only the street lamps as the light source - and subconsciously, fear crawled under Dante's skin when he made eye-contact.

Tsuna's voice was freezing cold while his aura was threatening enough to make the street lamp flicker. _"All that things you've swallowed from Vongola and its allies, I want you to spit them back out one by one. Understand?"_

 _"Who do you think -"_

 _" **Don't make me repeat myself,** " _Tsuna broke him off with narrowed eyes. The sense of danger that teenager gave Dante effectively caused the next part of his sentence to be stuck in in his throat. However, when he gain back his sense in the next second, he found it unbelievable that he had been frightened by such a scrawny kid had!

 _"You have until tomorrow,"_ Tsuna knew that giving more time than that wouldn't give him any result. It was better to put pressure than to be lenient towards people like Dante. His gaze then moved from Dante to his men. _"And I won't be releasing you until your men satisfy my demand."_

The brunet gave quick glance at Enma, who, in turn, cancelled the his gravity effect on the Serpentine.

Just as Dante regained his movement, he was assaulted by a sudden wave of drowsiness that made his muscles go numb yet he couldn't go to sleep.

Tsuna's usage of _Rain Flames_ caught Dino completely off-guard once more, but what was even more was that the teen had just taken the Serpentine Don hostage!

 _"Don't try any funny business,"_ The brunet warned the men who were itching to pull out their weapons. _"Your boss's life is on the line here."_

 _"Um... what-was-it - oh right, Tsunayoshi!"_ Dino started, stumbling in his speech as he tried to mediate the situation. Although he wasn't familiar with the boy, but just from Enma's introduction earlier and Tsuna's demand seconds prior, he knew that the brunet meant no harm to Vongola. _"Shouldn't we talk about this...?"_

 _"There's nothing to talk about,"_ Tsuna replied, his voice no longer cold and commanding as it was when talking to Dante - but there was still a tension to it. A frown marred his face as he glanced back at a numbed Dante. "Well? Aren't you going to start telling your subordinates what they're supposed to be doing right now?"

 _"You..."_ Dante gritted his teeth in unwillingness. _"Vongola will regret this."_

 _"Regret?"_ A cold glint flashed through Tsuna's sunset-orange orbs. _"How laughable for you to threaten Vongola with your meager power."_

Tsuna slanted his head to the side in an uncaring fashion, his hands in his pocket while his aura spiraled and sharpened against Dante in an overbearing might. _"_ ** _If you dare to cross my bottom line, I wouldn't mind taking your Family down a notch like I did to the Trabia and_ _Caracassa Famiglia._** _"_

* * *

 **I am alive! I am so sorry for not updating for more than a month, but I was busy from morning till night for the past few weeks since school started, and I've just failed my very first interview - actually, I just failed in society in general (つ﹏)･ﾟ｡ (I just want to crawl in a hole and hide for the rest of my life...)**

 **Moving on from my rant about my socially-challenged problem, this chapter... I'm not really too sure what I actually did there lol. I couldn't really handle too many characters in one scene as you can see towards the very end when Dino (Yes! They have met Dino!)**

 **It has also been awhile since I wrote, so there might be some deviation in the writing compared to the past(?)**

 **There wasn't much action (aka fighting) in there either, but well... I was running out of ideas in the end and I thought: since Tsuna and Enma haven't been getting some shut eyes, then it would make sense for them to end things as fast as they could right? So it resulted it Tsuna and Enma 'harassing' yet another famiglia in the middle of the night LOL (Oh dear, I think I have been too harsh of these two.)**

 **Thanks to** _DragonClanMaster, Arthur Moon, DXPotatoXD, Yui Yutikaishi, QueenAmore, secondnina, chelsss1, Anonymonymous, Lulumo, Shulki, ScareletRoofs, Nadeshiko666. Jessicamathews65, Yuki, Pineapple queen, KK, Staryna, D C JoKeR H S, PhantomCielo27, Natsuyuuki, T'hy'laReborn, TechGirl143, shirokonyan, croixisdaddy, wildcat114, MayaHikari, Lunapok, Little Ms. Pumpkin, SakuraKoi, Seablue eyes 9311, Jupiter27, Allykrau, minerbbi, thor94, YokaiAngel, loonygoody, SaoriK, Meiyo12, yola1996acuario , TheSilverHunt3r, WildRosa13474_ **for reviewing!**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	37. Greetings Gift

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

 **Key (because there are going to be a kind of midway switch in which language they'll be speaking in the most and it's annoying to italicized the bunch of them, but... does anyone care? Probably not lol...):**

 _"Japanese"_

"Italian"

.

.

.

The number had been untraceable.

Reborn, in one of the few rare times of his life, was feeling somewhat frustrated at the lack of results.

His well-developed intuition told him that the there was a threat to Vongola - no... that wasn't exactly the case. A frown marred Reborn's chubby face as he pondered over the phone call.

 **"Who is this?" His voice had been cold and alert as he strode down the hallway towards the Tech Development room, his intention was to track the call.**

 **"Hel - ... this... -born?"**

 **All that returned was static and a broken response, causing to slow his steps ever-so slightly before he returned to full speed. He briefly wondered why the caller was asking for his identity when it was a given - if not, then it was neigh impossible for them to get this number.**

 **"I'm Reborn." His squeaky voice confirmed it nonetheless.**

 **"T... God... didn't... -ink... get throu -..."**

 **Reborn arrived at the Tech Room in no time flat and grabbed an available technician off the road to assist him while he keep contact.**

 **"I'll ask again," Reborn narrowed his eyes. For some reason, he found the voice familiar, yet not. It was on the tip of his tongue but he couldn't identify it no matter what. He hated that feeling of knowing yet not knowing at the same time. "Who are you."**

 **"There... much ti -... danger is... don't let... Acroba-... -to... Tarta -"**

 **"Hello?" Reborn asked cautiously, but all he heard was static - the goddamn static that interrupted what should be a very important message! "Hello?"**

 **Confirming that he could no longer receive anymore response, he clicked his tongue in annoyance before turning to the technician who was helping him trace the number. "The line just dropped, got anything?"**

 **"One second." The man stopped his rapid typing when the signal was lost. His glasses reflected the results on the screen, but it couldn't obscure the utter disbelief in his eyes. "H-how is this possible..."**

 **Hearing the technician's muttering, Reborn redirected his gaze onto the computer and saw a blinking [Error!] on it followed by a bizarre frequency graph - or perhaps it was too much of a mess to call it a graph anymore.**

The caller had either had his phone destroyed and number erased the moment contact was lost or... the other possibility was a bit far-fetched and too sudden in his opinion, but after coming into contact with Tsuna and Enma, he couldn't brush off even the smallest possibility.

But still, he found it hard to believe that phone signals were strong enough to bypass the space-time barrier and interconnect with _another world or time_.

That was only a minor issue though, because the _content_ of the call - or what was left of it after static filtered them - gave rise to a really, _really_ bad premonition to Reborn.

The caller was speaking of a threat to the _Acrobalenos,_ which in turn was a threat to the entirety of the _Trinisette._

"Tarta... Tarta..." Reborn mumbled absentmindedly, trying to finish the word that had been cut off. His eyes flickered when a match came to mind.

"Tartaruga...?"

* * *

Dino had only planned to have a nice smooth sailing evening after the meet up with the Serpentines, and then relax for the night. He would then be helping to prepare for the upcoming ceremony in three days' time. (He knew that although his surrogate little brother have been trained for _several years_ in dealing with the inner working of Vongola, the teen was still not up for the task. )

It was as simple as one - two - three, right? Right.

But, could anyone explain to him how he had came to pick three kids up from the streets? _Literally?_

What was even more ridiculous was that one of them was an ex-convict (at least Dino _really_ hoped so because he did _not_ want the Vindice on his case - nope, nu-uh, _never_ ), another claimed to be from a famiglia he had never heard of - but was supposed to be allied with Vongola since _generations_ ago - and the third...

... The third, who looked eerily like a younger version of Vongola Primo, was said to be _twins_ with Sawada Ienari.

He was missing something here, wasn't he? He was _definitely_ missing something _very_ important. (Dino very much wanted to curse a certain blonde for this bomb.)

The information he received long ago, and even with Reborn's conformation, said that Iemitsu only had _one_ son. Where did this 'twin' came from?

Dino smelled conspiracy the very moment that thought crossed his mind, but Tsuna had mercilessly shot the blonde's active imagination down by showing the necessary documents that proved he was, indeed, the blood-related _older brother_ of Sawada Ienari. (It had included his passport, birth certificate, medical records, DNA test results... _everything_.)

The Chiavarone had wondered briefly _why_ the brunet had carried those things on his person (and _where_ had he kept them), before he was then urged by the trio to take them to the hotel he was staying at - he would have been staying at the Vongola Mansion but Xanxus had kicked him out after that... _little blunder_ with his pet turtle. (Dino would like to declare that he was innocent. How was he supposed to know how Enzo fell out of his pocket and destroyed the west part of Vongola mansion? That sneaky little rascal -)

"What is it, Dino."

Dino was pulled back from his train of thoughts by Reborn's sharp, demanding voice over the phone. The blonde had blinked several times before finally uttering - "Uh..." His vocabulary pool was absolutely _phenomenal._

Even though was a bit slow on the uptake, he could still tell that Reborn wasn't in the best of moods. And when Reborn wasn't in a good mood, then everyone else could forget about having a peaceful day - particularly the very first person who Reborn came across.

And by the sound of things... Dino winced. (Dino had spend a few good years under Reborn's tutelage, therefore, he knew when his lifespan would be shortened - _again_ \- when Reborn had that snappy tone of his - dear lord, he'll be lucky if he'll be alive by _next year_ at this rate.) Why was he always the first to test the waters? He thought he graduated after Ienari became Reborn's new student!

Sensing the chill even through the phone, Dino took a deep breath in - "Pipsqueak Dino, if you don't speak in the next five -"

"RebornIpickedupanex-convictsomeSimon-whatsit-famigliakidandaPrimolooklalike," Dino rushed his speech in a blur, ending it with an elevating pitched wail - "Pleaseplease _please_ don't kill me... please!"

"..."

"Reborn, don't hang up on me," Dino pleaded, sprawling his body on his bed. "I know I shouldn't pick up random kids off the street but -"

" _What_ did you just say?"

"Ah?" Dino blinked. "Random kids off the street?"

"... Before that."

"Uh... don't kill me?" The blonde paused for a brief second before adding - "Please?" Nothing could go wrong by adding the magic word -

"Dino, I **_dare_** you to play dumb with me."

\- Of course, Reborn was an exception.

Dino continued to blink obliviously. Play dumb with Reborn? _Him_? You've _got_ to be kidding, the day he no longer valued his life - wait, no. He wouldn't play dumb with Reborn _even if_ he no longer valued his life!

"I'm not!" Dino ran a hand through his hair in frustration, wondering where he had gone wrong. "Reborn, I'm not trying to mess around here. I picked an ex-convict, a Simon-whatchamacallit family kid, and a Primo lookalike off the streets!"

"So you're not hopeless after all."

"What?" Dino squawked. Was that supposed to be a compliment?

"It's sarcasm, Sherlock."

"How -" Dino sputtered. "- I thought you said you weren't a psychic!"

"Your tone spoke for you." Reborn deadpanned on the other end. "And don't go off topic."

Dino inwardly complained that Reborn was the other that got him off-tracked, but he would _never_ voiced that out loud.

"Alright," The blonde pinched the bridge of his nose. "The first one was Mukuro, then there was a kid with red hair and really weird pupils - compass-shaped, kinda cool actually -"

"Dino, I didn't pick up your call to waste time listening to you blab."

"..." Was it too much for him to make a side comment? Was it?! (Unfortunately, Dino never got his answer.)

"Right... he said his name was - erm... Emmy? Emma? Enma - ah, it was Enma Kozato!" Dino slapped his forehead while he was at it. "The last one's looked like a younger version of Vongola Primo, just that his hair's brown... and Japanese - though he was pretty fluent in Italian. He also told me that he's Nari's twin brother - he even had the documents to prove it. How come I never heard of this? Do you know how shocked I was when I found out?! I felt _so_ -"

"I don't care how you felt." Reborn's reply was like a bucket of cold water poured over his head. There was short, pregnant pause before Dino heard the hitman's voice again. "What did they do?"

"... Ah?" That was it, Dino was _so_ going to get dictionary later.

Reborn _sighed_ and it struck Dino' ego - _hard_. "Should I call you Ditsy Dino instead?"

"..." Can he say no?

"Alright then, _Ditsy Dino,_ " The sarcasm too obvious in Reborn's tone. "Tell me, what did Enma and Tsuna do?"

It never did cross the blonde's mind that Reborn had named the latter when he hadn't even mentioned Tsunayoshi's name yet. "Well... they - how should I say this..." Dino mumbled the last part as his gaze slowly traveled to an unconscious man lying in the corner of the room. "... Took the Serpentine Don... hostage...?"

"..." Reborn's mouth twitched on the other end.

"I mean, the guy's in my hotel suite and all," Dino added. "They told me keep an eye on him while they sleep."

Reborn remained silent for a few seconds before speaking. "Been wanting to deal with the Serpentines for a while now. At least this'll save me the trouble of finding an excuse to kick them out of the alliance."

"You..." Dino was at a lost for words. Although he knew that the Serpentines weren't exactly... _friendly_ , but Vongola could never find the evidence proving the other party guilty of harming Vongola. Negotiating with the Dante Serpentine tonight had only been a false pretense, Dino's real purpose was there to check if he could not find an opening to begin dealing with the Serpentines.

"... they have swallowed a lot from Vongola's alliance." Dino mumbled, sitting up cross-legged. When it came to business, Dino forgone his distrait self, exuding the air of a leader that a mafia boss _should_ have."And they're considered a significant reliance to Vongola. How are you going to make sure we won't be impacted too badly once they're gone?"

He heard Reborn scoffing on the other end. "What did Tsuna say?"

"..." Dino recollected what happened a few hours ago. His mouth twitched when he remembered what Tsuna said to Dante. "He told Dante to cough up all that his family took from the Vongola Alliance - or something close to it."

Reborn could be heard clicking his tongue several times in approval.

Dino chuckled briefly before falling back into silence, a solemn look on his face. "Reborn, is he -"

"Trustworthy?" Reborn interjected. "Yes, he is. Not only had he and his buddy helped the Varia, took down Trabia, and switched out the boss for the Carcassa, we can now add them gifting us Mukuro Rokudo and the Serpentine to the list."

"... Sorry, can you repeat that?" Dino had blanked out. Xanxus had only kicked him out about a day ago, so when did all of this happen?

"I'll come see the kids tomorrow."

"Wait, Reborn, what did I miss -"

 ** _Beep, beep, beep..._**

"..." Dino was left helplessly staring at his smartphone.

* * *

By the time Reborn came visiting the five-star hotel the next morning, he was met with a smiling Tsuna, a waving Enma, a deadpanning Rokudo, and a sweatdropping Dino. (Although Tsuna and Enma stayed up for almost three days straight, their circadian clock still woke them up at the break of dawn. They were, however, refreshed enough to gain their sensibilities back.)

It was a rather strange sight, to say the very least.

"So..." The hitman flicked his fedora up as he leveled his eyes with Tsuna. "Are you trying to set a track record?"

"Eh...?" The brunet faltered, blinking, but then seriously considered what he said. "It - erm... wasn't intentional...?"

"Track record my behind," Enma rolled his eyes. "It's called a greetings gift."

Tsuna snapped his finger in agreement with his best friend. "What he said."

"..."

Rokudo and Dino had no idea what was going on, as the former was in Vendicare while the later was chased out by Xanxus the moment the Wrath returned.

The corner of Reborn's mouth twitched. The Varia, three famiglias, and an ex-convict. That was some greetings gift alright.

"Putting that aside..." Reborn offhandedly kicked the still unconscious Serpentine Don with his tiny foot. "Do you know the danger you put yourself in?"

Tsuna blinked. Enma blinked. Wasn't that too sudden of a change in topic?

"Well..." Tsuna still followed along nevertheless. He scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly because he knew what Reborn was pointing at. "I don't feel that bad, honest."

He hadn't forgotten about his own condition in the duration for these past three days and nights - as had Enma.

But as he could tell, his condition had been much - _much_ \- better than when he first came to this world - and improving as he continued to train his body. The fact that he had been able to hold himself together for three days and two nights was a testament to how much his constitution had improved. Although he knew that on a fundamental level, his body wouldn't reach the same condition as his original - because he had been born weak - but at least he wouldn't have to always be on alert.

"Besides," Tsuna took out the pocket watch hiding under his clothes and played with it. He was ever-grateful that he had his dad's flames constantly watching over him. He then looked back up, sunset-orange eyes shone with a certain light. "I'm not going to stop just because I was born weak."

Reborn stared silently at the golden pocket watched - the very one that reacted with the Vongola Sky ring and causing Vongola Primo's Will to manifest. His lips then curled up at the boy's resolve as well as getting the hint that Tsuna wouldn't put himself in danger if not for the fact that he wasn't alone.

But still -

"Brat, don't get smart with me." Reborn scoffed. "You're overestimating yourself."

\- He needed to take the brunet down a notch. It wasn't good to always be self-confident.

"That's what I'm here for," Enma entered into the conversation, smirking as he swung an arm around Tsuna's shoulder.

Tsuna's mouth arced mockingly as he readily popped the other's bubble. "Nope, _you're_ here so I can drag you down with me."

"..." Enma quietly removed his arm and went moping at a corner, muttering something along the lines of 'Tch, stupid birds.'

Dino sweatdropped at the interaction between the three, but still decided to raise his hand like the good boy he was because he wanted in on the whole story! "Reborn, so... what's this about the greetings gift?"

Rokudo became attentive as well, staring unblinkingly at Tsuna, Enma, and Reborn.

"Dino," Reborn gave his former student a look. "Don't you know the phrase: curiosity kills the cat?"

"Hehe," Dino grinned cheekily. "It's a good thing I'm not a cat then." He had a feeling that he was in for a loop so Dino was going to get the scoop no matter what. (Even if it meant facing the danger that was known as Reborn.) His eyes were practically _sparkling_ with - _tell me tell me tell me!_

"..."

Tsuna chuckled as he placed one hand in his pant pocket and shifted his weight from one foot to another. This Chiavarone just seemed so... _childish_ at this moment, but he supposed that was the difference between Chiavarone and the Dino that he knew. This one seemed to leaned for towards a gossiper while the one he called his brother was more of a klutz. However, either traits would lead to trouble - especially when Reborn was involved.

"It's nothing much, honestly," Tsuna couldn't win against a curious child that was Chiavarone Dino, so he shrugged and decided to quell the blonde's thirst. "Enma and I met with Squalo the day we got off the plane. Varia, as it seemed, was in trouble so we decided to help bust them out from the Trabia's base that very night and overthrew the Carcassa while we were at it. Then the two of us gave Vendicare a visit, picked Rokudo-san, came to Venice, met you and then the whole thing with the Serpentine happened."

Dino: "..."

Rokudo: "..."

Reborn would like to give a thumbs up for Tsuna's briefing of him and Enma's last three days or so. It was simple yet concise, completely marking off the contents as 'nothing much' when even if one was randomly picked out of the content, it would be _anything_ but nothing.

"Anyways," Tsuna followed by brushing the entire thing off as if he had been talking about the weather. "I thought that it would be good idea for Ienari to deal with Serpentine - I mean Dante Serpentine. It's good practice for the Vongola Decimo to-be."

"Why are we all speaking Italian here?" Enma grumbled, having left his gloom. "We can all understand Japanese, can't we? I'm getting the Western and Eastern addresses all confused again."

Tsuna slapped his forehead on the reminder, knowing that his best friend was implying that if they were going to talk business, it was better to do it in a language that wasn't Italian, as that was the native language for mafiosi.

 _"My mistake,"_ With Tsuna's quick yet smooth transition, Dino finally realized that the two boys were Japanese natives. But they have been so fluent in Italian that the Chiavarone Don overlooked that fact. He was rather surprised at the sudden switch. He knew that it would take him a few seconds to adjust with the languages that he knew so far.

 _"So... you're really Ienari's twin?"_ Dino still had to confirm, because although all the proofs were there, he just _couldn't_ believe any of it. The boy was already _sixteen_ for Pete's sake! You're telling him that Tsunayoshi Sawada was able to hide away from the mafia radar all this time? Hell, he wouldn't believe that if it smacked him in the face. _Nothing_ can stay hidden for long, nor were their seamless secretes. The brunet existing completely off the radar for sixteen years when his brother was exposed when he wasn't even _ten_ was just... just a _miracle_ among miracles!

 _"Bound by blood."_ Tsuna replied with an lazy smile, but his sunset-oranges flickered with a darker light. _"Am I correct to assume that my father erased my name from the family registry?"_

 _"Erm..."_ Dino hesitated, scratching the back of his head. How was he supposed to word the answer nicely when it was in no way appreciated at all? The boy had a comforting, _welcoming_ aura that drew him in, so he subconsciously didn't want to put the brunet in a situation that would make the latter uncomfortable.

 _"I won't take it personally, Chiavarone-san."_ Tsuna assured when he caught onto Dino's dilemma. _"And I take it that this also happened seven or eight years ago, when Ienari was brought to Italy due to a trauma?"_

 _"The Sawada household only have three living members since it was revealed,_ " Reborn answered instant, and bluntly at that. _"But you should already know all of this, don't you?"_

Tsuna shrugged nonchalantly as if this conversation had nothing to do with him. _"We were on the topic, so I thought I could explain this way."_

Enma and Rokudo had been silent through this conversation, because it wasn't appropriate for them to interject. The former seemed to be pondering over something rather than paying attention while Rokudo, however, felt a sting in his heart after hearing the truth story - but it _didn't_ belong to him.

As a Mist, he could separate what was true and what was false, just as he was able to separate his own emotions and... and _that other_. It wasn't only him either, Dokuro experience it as well and through her, he knew that the rest of the guardians were getting those emotions and thoughts- _not-theirs_.

His gaze landed on Tsuna, turning complicated - it all started when Tsuna entered the picture.

 _"Let's not talk about this here, okay?"_ Enma came back from his pondering and suddenly suggested, steering everyone's attention onto him. _"What we should be doing right now is take him -"_ He pointed at Rokudo _"- and him - "_ his index shifted to the unconscious Dante _"- to Vongola HQ. Am I right or am I right?"_

 _"Oh... but Xanxus kicked me out."_ Dino supplied awkwardly, but no one reacted as if it was a matter of course. It honestly made the blonde brood over their unbothered looks but -

 _"Enzo destroyed the West wing. "_

\- He was still going to share his woes anyways.

 _"You should be thankful that it wasn't where_ Nono _was residing in."_ Reborn reproached his former student. _"Or it would_ just _be throwing you out."_

 _"Nono?"_ Tsuna picked out the important detail, knitting his brows. _"Is Grandfather's condition not turning around still?"_

Silence befell the room, giving rise to a bad premonition in Tsuna.

 _" **Speak.** "_ Tsuna demanded, his expression dire as he unconsciously revealed his commanding aura.

 _"It's better if you see it for yourself."_ Reborn pulled his fedora down, toddling towards the exit of the hotel without another word.

A frown marred Tsuna's face as he exchanged a look with Enma. Both of them came into a silent consensus to follow Reborn out, but not before reminding Dino to bring Dante along.

.

.

.

With everyone preparing for the ceremony in a few days, not a lot of people of Vongola noticed two unknown had entered into their territory. Or rather... Reborn brought Tsuna and Enma through the back door while ordering Rokudo to go look for Ienari and his fellow guardians.

Reborn was amused that the half-Mist had begrudgingly agreed - he hadn't missed the warning look that Tsuna gave the illusionist either. Then again, Ienari and his guardians seemed to have a silent consensus in following Tsuna - which, Reborn couldn't tell, was a good or bad thing.

The mansion, although not in the same location the one in his original world, still had a very similar structure. Ergo, Tsuna guided through the corridors without another thought the moment he entered the building.

Dino was the only one with a strange look on his face as he, Reborn, and Enma followed after Tsuna. _He seems to know his way around the mansion..._

The blonde was about to voice his suspicions when Tsuna's pace sped up.

"Tsuna?" Enma only had time to call his name before chasing after his best friend. "Tsuna, wait - !" He almost _stumbled_ when an eerie, _familiar_ feeling crawled up his spine.

Up ahead, the reason that Tsuna sped up his pace was because he had sensed that something was wrong - _wrongwrongwrong_ \- and came to a screeching stop at a certain door.

He stared at it for several long seconds, as if trying to bore a hole through it, before he abruptly threw open the door with a - _bam!_

The air within the room, Tsuna immediately detected, was dull and sickly. A thick sense of heaviness was layered upon it, making it even more depressing and hard to breath.

Sunset-orange eyes widened ever-so slowly when he saw the figure sleeping on the bed next to the window.

Enma arrived seconds after and wanted to share what he had just sensed, but stop shorted when he saw the scene over his friend's shoulder.

Tsuna's strides were large and hurried as he headed for Vongola Nono, eyes in distraught and panic, but no hint of despair. He silently, _gently_ took the elder man's wrist, frowning upon checking the status of the other's Sky flames.

"How could..." Tsuna mumbled in confusion as an image flashed in his head. Nono's flames were... he wouldn't say they were inactive, because the presence was clearly there. But they were _sealed_ in a cage of rotting black, he sensed, and was unable to escape, nor was it able to produce enough life flames to stabilize the elderly man's body - or rather, it _could_ , but because of the cage that the life flames could barely leave. Without enough to support, Vongola was slowly _dying_.

"It's suppressing Sky flames." Tsuna's voice was grave as he spoke to the people who had entered the room.

"It?" Reborn raised a brow.

"Do you mean that eerie feeling that I always get when I get close to Nono?" Dino asked, baffled.

"It's probably only noticeable to the Sky flame holders," Enma explained as he spared the Chiavarone Don a glance. "Earth included."

"Earth?" The blonde was, once again, lost. They were talking about Sky flames a second ago weren't they? What does the Earth got to do with any of this?

"Earth flames," Enma expanded upon seeing Dino's confusion. "I'll explain later."

"Enma," Tsuna looked to the redhead, his lips pursed into a thin line. "You knew."

"... Mm." The ex-Simon don nodded, coming forward and standing next to the brunet. His gave studied the sleeping Nono for a few seconds before retracting. "It's... part of what we - I found out."

Tsuna silently motioned his friend to continue.

"I'm not too clear on this, but they're said to be Inverted flames," Enma's brows knitted. "It's not like Xanxus's Wrath, that's still _Sky_ \- nor is it like Bermuda's Night. These are _pure, solitary Inverted flames_ that could invert other flames at the user's will. I'm not too sure what happens after it completely consume other flames though, I have only ever encountered tainted flames of the Sky. They..." Enma balled his hands into fists, a shadow veiling his face at unfond memories.

In his brief moment of emotional lapse, small objects became to came into the effect Enma's gravity.

"What the - ?!" Dino jumped in start, looking around before his gaze landed on the cause of the floating objects.

"Enma," Tsuna called softly, resting a hand on said person's shoulder and calming his fury with Sky's Harmony. Enma took a deep breath as he suppressed his boiling emotions, nodding to his friend that he was fine now.

Getting Enma's reassurance, Tsuna brought his attention back to Nono. If he followed Enma's explanation, then it _would_ explain why the cage of oozing black flames - neither fire nor water - had felt similar to his own vibrant orange ones and why it had felt so _\- wrongwrongwrong_.

"Inverted..." He mumbled, casting a glance at Reborn and Dino. "When did Grandfather became like this?"

"Two years back," Reborn answered. "Around the time Baka-Nari was announced the heir apparent."

"Two years - ?!" Tsuna all but spluttered, but he didn't get the chance to continue because Enma spoke before him.

"Was there an attack?"

"... As a matter of fact, yes." Reborn pondered a moment before answering. "It was a preemptive attack and we didn't know who it was at that time, but..."

"Tartaruga," Enma said with solid conviction. "No one else could possess these Inverted flames."

"How come," Tsuna narrowed his eyes, sunset-orange eyes faintly growling as he very nearly _growled_ at Reborn. "I haven't heard of this from you, or Byakuran?"

"Didn't I tell you that Nono was bedridden and there were famiglias eager to see Vongola fall from its high horse?" The hitman scoffed, and didn't forget to spite the brunet while he was at it "Or is your memory _really_ that bad?" It was as if he was warning to brunet to not get testy with him.

"..." Tsuna's anger was all but forgotten in an instant as his mouth twitched at the disparage. Bad memory? Nonsense. If he had bad memories, then no one in the world would have good memory and he would've suffered through all those horror film reenactments for nothing! "... Byakuran it is."

He fished out his android and looked for Byakuran's number. "Maybe Byakuran has already started finding a solution to this too if he hadn't mentioned it." He knew the Sky Mare's habit of not mentioning a problem when he hadn't found a solution to it yet, it was just one of the ways that Byakuran messed people with after all.

"Byakuran as in the one from the Gesso famiglia?" Dino spoke up, wanting in on the conversation. "The very one took the initiative to offer Vongola an alliance a few days ago?"

"Oh, that reminds me." Tsuna also fished out a thick folder out of nowhere and threw it at Reborn. "Gesso's part of the alliance contract."

"..." Reborn deadpanned at the manila folder, then at Tsuna. "And why do you have this?"

"Because Byakuran had me doing all the -"

"TSU-CHAN~!"

Tsuna was cut off by a very annoying voice, but Reborn got the gist from the few words that the brunet had spoken.

"Shiro," Tsuna greeted blandly and went straight to the point before the Mare could talk about the weather. "Nono. Inverted flames. Explain. _Now_."

"..." There was brief silence as his answer and Tsuna would have called him out on it too if the child hadn't beat him to it - and it was with a solemnly tone at that. "It's better to talk about this in person, no?"

"I'll give you three hours."

"I'm in Sicily!" The marshmallow-lover complained and Tsuna could practically see him pouting on the other end.

"Does it _really_ take you three hours to get to Venice on the fastest jet you own?" Tsuna retorted without a hint of mercy, he paused before adding, "And don't forget to bring Shoichi and Spanner as well." And ended the call before Byakuran could put in another word (Guess where Tsuna learned that from?)

.

.

.

In a certain mansion (that was overly white enough to blind the eyes) in a distant part Sicily, Byakuran was facing the _biggest dilemma_ of his _entire_ _life_ as he stared back and forth between his phone and the s'mores that he was making with Yuni.

"Hm..." His cute little face scrunched up in distress.

"Byakuran?" Yuni blinked, she hadn't heard the conversation because she had just came back from getting more crackers.

"Should I not get scolded and not eat, or eat and get scolded...?"

"...?"

(Poor Byakuran was going to cry, really!)

.

.

.

* * *

 **Key:**

"Japanese"

 _"Italian"_

.

.

.

 ** _"Still not good enough, Trash."_**

Xanxus's voice still echoed in Ienari head from yesterday's fight. It might've been just him but he sensed that his adopted uncle was a bit more lenient than usual - though, it still didn't stop him from brooding over the fact he hadn't even lasted half an hour against the Varia boss.

He stared listlessly at the piled of paperwork waiting for him to look over and sign.

It wasn't like he _didn't_ have any desire to inherit Vongola. Hell, he was pretty excited at the news when he heard it. After all, he had been trained for it since - the teen couldn't help but grimace.

 _Right... since the... the incident._ Ienari was sure things would be different if that hadn't happened, perhaps he would even have developed differently than how he was when he was named the heir.

Confidence was what he had in the beginning. But as time went on, that all but faded as he was told again and again that he wasn't good enough.

"Get better, try hard, they said," Ienari couldn't help but mocked under his breath. The one who told him those the most wasn't even _here_ to support him right now. If it wasn't for the wake up call he got, he might have been wallowing in self-pity right now.

Arrogance, or maybe conceit was a better word, was honestly not a good thing when there was nothing to back it up with. He had been proud of himself for his background and achievements... until Reborn came into his life with a one-ton hammer in the name of Leon.

He hadn't gotten all that well along with his guardians because of that attitude of his, what did he thought at that time?

Wasn't it - _They're my future guardians? Do they even_ _fit_ _with those backgrounds of theirs?_

It was that very thought that kept him from truly interacting with any of them.

Ienari snorted. Now that he looked back on his attitude towards everything, he was a jerk. There was no two way about it. His attitude only loosen after Reborn's constant grinding, then by his brother's appearance.

To be honest, he couldn't remember a moment - besides that time when he blew his top - where he put up an attitude around older twin. The latter just had an air about him that wouldn't let _anyone_ look down on him despite his appearance.

Tsuna had kept his calm through everything - minus the fight that time. The smiles that he showed were warm, but those eyes of his were almost _indifferent_ as they gazed everything like he was just... just a _spectator_ that had only took a temporary stop in this world.

The thought made Ienari knit his brows in worry, because that feeling - Hyper Intuition as Reborn told him long ago - of certainty was particularly strong at that point, even more so after -

 ** _Knock, knock!_**

\- Ienari was brought back from his thoughts by the knock of the door. He lifted his head, staring blankly at the door that he hadn't even noticed opening because he was lost in thought seconds ago.

"So..." The familiar voice was one Sawada Tsunayoshi drawled through the office as said person leaned against the frame of the entrance, his arms folded across his chest, his lips curled into a lazy smile, creating an idle air about him. "Whatcha thinkin'?"

"... how long have you been standing there?" Was the first thing Ienari blurted out.

Tsuna raised a brow at his younger twin but played along with him. "Five minutes ago."

"..." Ienari blinked, his mind slowly registering just _who_ he was seeing as his eyes widened ever-so slowly with his jaws nearly touching the ground. "O-ONII?!"

"You're too slow." Tsuna offhandedly commented as his gazed traveled to the stacks of papers, his hand involuntarily twitched.

"What - I - you -" Ienari sputtered, bolting up from his chair and slamming his hand against the office table. "What are you doing here?!"

A frown marred the brunet's face at the sight of the shaking stacks of paper due to Ienari's commotion, but he retracted his gaze and fixed them on Ienari, still not making a sound.

Ienari was getting uncomfortable by Tsuna's constant staring that he shrunk back. "W-what is it?"

"... Why can't I be here?" Tsuna finally spoke after several long minutes of silence. He had came to check on Ienari after Reborn had brought up an issue he noticed and deemed necessary to fix.

The hitman said that Ienari and his guardians were beginning to become too reliant on him. He found it somewhat difficult to digest, as Tsuna was sure he didn't come into contact with them too many times - though that wasn't saying much when he and Ienari lived under the same roof and all that. He tried not to butt into their business other then trying to get them back to their feet. So, where did they get this dependence from?

(Tsuna seemed to have overlooked the fact that it was _because_ he had done that that they unconsciously looked to him for guidance.)

"Um..." Ienari was stumped by his question as well as that arrogance - _true_ arrogance Tsuna was displaying with his words and bearing. He briefly wondered if there would be a day he could be like that before feeling that something was off about this thought. How could Tsuna show more of a mafia boss attitude than him?

(It wasn't him trying to look down on his brother, but honestly, Ienari just haven't bear witness to Tsuna's prowess... yet.)

Shaking his thoughts away, he tried to level a gave with the brunet as he answered the question. "Because I... you shouldn't... be here...?" His voice got quieter and quieter when those sunset-orange orbs seemed to be boring a hole into him. It was till the point that Ienari had to lower his gaze because he couldn't stand keeping eye-contact.

"..." Tsuna knitted his brows for a brief second, too brief for Ienari to notice - not that he would noticed anyways because he and his head down like a chastised child. He then pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed (tiredly if one were to pay attention).

"Back straight, head up, Ienari," Tsuna instructed coolly as he approached his brother's side. He frowned in dissatisfaction at the emotions written over Ienari's face. "Remember, you're a mafia boss. Act like one. Don't go around showing your thoughts on your face."

"... _Huh_?"

"Oh god," Tsuna massaged his temple at the response. "Get a dictionary too."

Ienari stared at the brunet strangely until he couldn't hold in his confusion. "Onii, you... you _knew?_ "

"..." Tsuna pursed his lips. He knew he couldn't keep pretending anymore, especially now that they were in Italy. And it was because of that uneasiness he and Enma was feeling ever since the day they stepped on Italian soil that Tsuna knew he could no longer keep the act.

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Tsuna's gaze intentionally turned cold as he stared _down_ at Sawada Ienari. That latter involuntarily took a step back at the sudden pressure he was feeling, almost _tripping_ if he hadn't had a hand against the edge of the table.

Putting the blonde's response in his eyes, Tsuna inwardly smiled in satisfaction. Good, at least he knew that Ienari wasn't as ignorant. This way, he would be able to imprint onto Ienari how he should act as a don - not like that indecisive self his younger twin displayed more often than not.

"H-huh - ?"

Tsuna stopped him with a fleeting glance, conveniently sitting down on the black leather swirl chair that Ienari got up from. He turn it to face Ienari with his elbow propped against the arm of the chair, his body slanting slightly as his cheek rested the back of his knuckles, and his leg was swung over the other. He made an example of how a mafia was supposed to be when he released his domineering aura.

"Ienari," His voice was lazy, but his eyes sharp, creating the illusion of a king looking down on his subjects - Was this still the brother that he got to know?

"Here!" The blonde involuntarily announced as if he was in roll call. He blinked several times after, at a lost for words. "Eh...?"

"You're going to have to step up your game Ienari," Tsuna curled his lips into a faint smirk. "You end up like an airhead like our father."

"..." The blonde, once again, stared at his older twin strangely as if he couldn't recognize the latter anymore.

"Of course you don't, just as I couldn't recognize you after so many years."

"...!" _If he a mind reader?!_

"Ienari, don't give me that face," Tsuna frowned in disdain, his other hand tapping on the other arm of the chair. "I'm neither a psychic nor a mind reader. Like I said, don't go around with your thoughts written all over your face."

"...Onii," Ienari knitted his brows, but tried to follow Tsuna's advice as he soothed his expression. "What's going on?"

"... Again, I'm not an idiot," Tsuna slowly started, leaning against the spine of the chair as he absentmindedly picked up a fountain pen and played with it. "I learned the truth sooner or later, y'know. Reborn was obviously one who doesn't beat around the bush. Gokudera and Lambo were not throwing around toys, but dynamites, guns, bazookas, _weapons_ " - Ienari grimaced _-_ "Yamamoto has a real sword, not a bamboo one, Ryo-nii's excuses were far from realistic, Dokuro is sweet and all but anyone who's associated with Rokudo was anything _but_ normal, and Hibari -" Tsuna paused momentarily before he deadpanned "- Hibari was Hibari." (Because _everything_ was wrong with the Skylark.)

He spared a glance back at a shrinking Ienari. "You tell me Ienari, what _is_ going on?"

"Um..." The blonde fidgeted, nonplussed at being put on the spot. (If Ienari was keener, he would've noticed that Tsuna was intentionally tossing the hot potato back at him.)

The brunet stared silently at the uneasy form on Ienari and sighed. "Ienari, if you keep getting tongue-tied like this, you'll never improve."

"... what do you mean?" Ienari subconsciously took offense to take, because it sounded so, _so_ much like -

"I'm not trying to discourage you like that," Tsuna struck down the blonde's incoming deprecating thought. "But while we're on this topic, let's get one thing straight, Reborn won't be there for you all the time - as a matter of fact, _no_ _one_ would constantly be by your side."

"But didn't you say that I have you and everyone else to rely on?" Ienari argued.

"I did," Tsuna knitting his brows before expanding bluntly, "But that doesn't mean you can look to us to solve your problems all the time - and that's not how you should see us as either. Remember, we're here to help, to support you as _you_ make the decision."

"..." Ienari remained silent, causing the other to sigh for the umpteenth time. Tsuna knew he was being harsher and more direct than previous two times, but there was no two ways about it. The best way to break an illusion was to destroy it directly at the core in one go.

"Ienari, look at me."

Said boy lifted his head, staring straight into the too-deep of a pair of sunset-orange eyes that told of experiences far beyond his imagination. For the first time since weeks ago, he seemed to be facing with that illusion again (o _f a taller shadow not of this world, but smiling warmly upon him like his brother did so,_ so _long ago_ ). He couldn't shake off the image of an unreachable sky every time he saw it.

"You need to stand up for yourself, Ienari. Just because of people ask too much of yourself, that isn't enough on an excuse for you to just stop. That's being a spoiled brat, Ienari, and I don't want to see you as one who needs to be constantly babied." Tsuna's gaze flitted across the blonde's darkening face, sunset-orange eyes remaining indifferent. "You don't want that either, do you?"

"No..." Ienari balled his hands into fists, lowering his head and glaring at the floor. "But what am I supposed to do then?"

"That," Tsuna smiled faintly. "Is something _you_ have to figure out yourself." And he would like to pat himself on the back for successfully avoid spinning a long, headache-inducing story of how he knew of the mafia and why he pretended like he did and redirecting the topic to his younger twin.

"Onii," Ienari spoke up suddenly, distracting the brunet from his self-satisfaction.

"What is it?"

"Are you really going to my adviser like Reborn said?"

"..." Ienari's sparkling eyes made the corner of Tsuna's mouth twitch. He finally understood why Reborn said Ienari and his friends were reliant on him, because those were the very same eyes _Tsuna_ used to look at Reborn with during the period of time he was too dependent on the Sun Acrobaleno.

Thinking back to the counseling he just gave without much thought... damn, wasn't it the result of him babying them too much. "I don't think I ever voiced my agreement to that - and even if I did, don't be a smartass. If I'm ever your adviser, I would _advise_ when necessary like what both the job title and job description said, but I'll never help solve your problems for you."

He placed a hand on Ienari's shoulder, solemn as he added, "Especially if it involved paperwork, capiche?"

Ienari sweatdropped, that never crossed his mind -

"I heard paperwork -"

 ** _Swish!_**

\- " _Tsuna,_ " Enma growled as he sidestepped a flying fountain pen, letting said pen to rocket out the door and struck the poor wall opposite of the office. "What. The. _Hell_."

"... reflex." Tsuna chuckled awkwardly, his hands up in the air in defense. "Pure reflex!"

"Reflex my a**," Enma glowered, pointing at the deeply embedded fountain pen with web of cracks surrounding it. "That could have been my _f***ing **eye** , _a**hole."

Tsuna winced, feeling guilty. If there was one thing that could easily make his best friend flip, then it was anything hazardous related to his compass-eyes (as paperwork was Tsuna's - but let's be truthful, paperwork was the bane of every mafia boss's existence). He already had enough jeers about them since he was young, but as a inherit trait passed down in the Simon bloodline, Enma was rather proud of having them - especially when it was also the Simon Family's emblem. (If a famiglia's emblem didn't signify its pride, then Tsuna didn't know what did.)

"It won't happen again," Tsuna vowed. "Promise!"

"The day I believe that..."Enma narrowed his eyes at a certain paper stack as if it owed him a million bucks. _...Is the day paperwork no longer exists._

"..." Tsuna couldn't argue with that.

"Onii..." Ienari had been wide-eyed the entire time, because holy - he did _not_ just saw what he just saw!

"Anyways," Enma was quick to pour water over his own anger, preventing Ienari from speaking further. "I brought them over."

It was only now that Tsuna took heed of the Tenth generation guardians behind the entrance that Enma was blocking, but they were currently staring, _dumbstruck_ , at the pen in the wall.

 _Great job_. Enma shot his best friend a derisive look.

Tsuna felt the urge to facepalmed. This wasn't the (re)first impression he had in mind!

* * *

 **A/N: Well... all I can say is this: I'm sososososo _sooooooo_ sorry for the late update! .**

 **This is a bit of a mess if you ask me, but yeeeaah... I hope the characters aren't too OCC...**

 **Also, I made a mistake in how long Tsuna and Enma stayed awake for, so I'm gonna be fixing that for the previous chapter :)**

 **Let me just make a sorta-timeline here:**

 **Day 1: Hyper Duo arrived. Met Squalo.**

 **Night 1: Took down two Families. Went to climb the Alps.**

 **Day 2: Climbed the Alps. Met Vindice. Freed Rokudo. Got a ride to Venice.**

 **Night 2: Met Dino. Dealt with Serpentine. Crashed at hotel.**

 **Looks about right, right? :D... Tsuna and Enma sure did a lot in two days...**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	38. Vongola

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Tsuna released a stressful sigh after after smoothing things out with the previously rambunctious group that had exploded at him and Enma. Though... it wouldn't have taken him _an hour_ if not for Enma and Reborn (who had arrived minutes after) watching in amusement until deciding to help in the very, _very_ end.

So now, they were sitting obediently in the large living room space with Ienari and his guardians cluttered into one couch (Tsuna didn't want to ask why they wouldn't spread out to the couch _next over_ ) while he and Enma sat opposite of them - Reborn sat on the armchair at the head of the furniture arrangement playing with Leon.

No one made a sound in the pin-drop silence for several long minutes, not before the corner of Tsuna's mouth twitched as he smiled at the group who was mentally younger than him and -

"Is there something on my face?"

\- He couldn't take it anymore, he _had_ to ask because the teens were spending those several long minutes staring at him like a yeti in a zoo, which, wouldn't be in a zoo in the first place - Not in a normal one anyways! (Now... if it was in a box, then that would be an entirely different question all together.)

It was kind of nerve-wrecking, to be honest. Tsuna was used to being stared at (how could he not when he'd received countless stares that _clearly_ wanted his life on multiple occasions in his past-future life) but he couldn't exactly face _these_ eyes without hiding his scars. They were his friends - _family -_ and even though he was passed from mourning and self-blame, it didn't mean he forgot those lifeless eyes.

He no longer felt suffocated, but it didn't help the chaotic emotions swirling in his eyes whenever he thought back - and he tried _not_ to. He lived in the here and now, and he wanted to make things up (even though it was not to _them_ directly.)

"Well -" Ienari was the first to speak, fixing a complicated gaze at his elder twin. He was somewhat tongue-tied actually; after all, he never expected his twin to be _here_ and he _knew_. "That is, y-you - erm..."

"Ienari," The brunet tapped on his lap, a patient smile adorning his face. "Never stutter. If you can't, then think first, speak second. Don't take too long though, or the other party gets the advantage."

"..." The younger twin was feeling nonplussed. Was this really the time to lecture him? "I -"

 ** _Swish!_**

\- A silver tonfa twirled past Ienari (Hibari was standing a few feet behind the spot that Ienari was sitting at), aiming towards Tsuna.

To everyone's (minus those who knew Tsuna's capabilities) surprise, the brunet caught the weapon with ease.

"Hibari-san, patience is the key." At Hibari's irritated glare, Tsuna added, "Wouldn't you think it's better to catch the prey on the first try rather than to have them put up their guard on the second?"

"..." Now the keepers of the Vongola Rings were just feeling complicated because _Tsuna had just spoke_ _Hibari_.

"Pffft - !" Enma couldn't help laughing anymore, breaking the stunned silence. The kids (at least in his and Tsuna's eyes) were just too tense. "You guys look like you're going into the battlefield!"

Tsuna's lips curled up in amusement, agreeing with Enma. His gaze swept across each and every one of the guardians's faces, noticing that they all had something to say but seemed not to be able to decide who should speak first. "If you guys want to know why we're here..."

The other party immediately directed their attention back to Tsuna.

"... go to Reborn." The brunet finished with a bright (read: schadenfreude-ish) grin, unhesitatingly throwing the task to Reborn without a guilt to his conscience - which, of course, earned a look from said hitman.

"One bullet per question," Reborn narrowed his eyes with a dangerous gleam as he turned towards his student and guardians, who were tempted to open their mouths. And as if it was not enough to express his stance in this matter, he added, " _I dare you_."

"..." Ienari and co. promptly sat upright and shut their mouths.

The Sun Acrobaleno glanced at the clock on the wall before zeroing his gaze on his student. "Nari."

The aforementioned teen back straightened and tensed, wondering what Reborn was going to have him go through this time (because even if he didn't do a good enough performance under Reborn's training, he at least knew what that look in the hitman's eyes meant from the years that they've been together.)

"You have a meeting in ten minutes, and Gokudera's your wingman*."

"... Huh?" Ienari dumbly responded while the bomber stared blankly. When were they scheduled a meeting today? Why weren't they informed?!

"It was scheduled last night," Tsuna helpfully answered their unspoken doubts. "Be prepare to expect the unexpected, y'know?"

"How did you..."

"Do I really have to point out?" Tsuna almost felt like rolling his eyes - he didn't even bothered to count how many times this issue had came up anymore! (For Pete's sake, did anyone in Vongola knew of the most blatant flaw they have that will cause them their lives one day?)

Rokudo snorted, leaning against the wall behind the couch and away from Hibari (Mind you, he wasn't that heedful. It was just that Tsuna's warning gaze had both him and Hibari shrinking like chided kids.) He had to admit, the brunet spoke the truth now that he took the observer's stance. "We get it, our thoughts are written on our faces."

"Keep up the good work, your sarcasm's getting better."

"..." Rokudo couldn't tell whether or not Tsuna was reflecting the mockery back at him. Damn it, he swear he was going to practice until he wouldn't be tongue-tied by the brunet - or Reborn - ever again!

"A suggestion, practice with Hibari-san," Tsuna offhandedly added. "I think it's a better alternative than to get physical, y'know?"

Rokudo's eye twitched while Hibari's hairs stand on ends, both guardians glaring daggers at the leisure-looking brunet.

"Think of it this way," Enma elaborated helpfully. "Mental wounds heal - if ever - slower than physical ones."

"..." Tsuna didn't know how to feel what Enma's interpretation. (Then again, their minds were rather twisted after being trained under Reborn.)

Rokudo, on the other hand, gritted his teeth, showing his dissatisfaction. "I'm a _Mist_."

"So?" The redhead shot back, his deliberate look of disdain was too striking that it hurt the illusionist's eyes. "It's not like your illusions can do anything to us, can it?"

"..." _F! K$#%!_ Rokduo cursed all the hells that he have been to and then some, he just can't seem to win a verbal fight! (And the fact that he _really_ couldn't do anything against their mental defenses was just adding salt to injury.)

Tsuna elbowed his best friend in the guts, giving the latter a look. _He's going to blow if you keep this up._

 _Shows how resilient his mindset is for him to only last this long in a verbal exchange._ Enma gave a heartless shrug in response, then a raised brow. _Don't tell me you aren't enjoying this too._

"You all done?" Reborn spoke suddenly, sparing a sharp glance at the exchanging parties before continuing without waiting for an answer (not that he wanted one anyways). "There aren't many days left until the ceremony so I expect you all to stay on your toes. While Nari and Gokudera is in a meeting, I expect..."

* * *

Nougat Coyote had his hands tied with preparations for the Inheritance Ceremony, because it wasn't as if Ninth generation had threw _all_ of the work to the younger generation - they weren't (unfortunately) that irresponsible as to ditch (as much as any of them wanted to) their respective tasks. But with Nono, their Sky, deteriorating in health, there was a rather... dark cloud over all of their heads (after all, it was _their Sky_ ). The constant feeling of agitation was driving them nuts and there was no Harmony that could soothe their flames - how long has it been since they had properly felt their Sky's comforting flames again?

(They felt cold - _coldcold **freezing**_ \- but they were _helpless_.)

Coyote sighed, the underlying frustration was all but evident in his tone. He and his fellow guardians were supposed to be coach the next generations in roles specified to them (not as guardians but as close confidantes to the future Vongola Don.)

At least, _he_ was supposed to... until he got a short notice just a while ago from Reborn, informing him that his temporary charge will be attending a meeting along with the Vongola heir. (He was starting to notice how he and his fellow companions were getting short notices as of late, like that sudden case with the Carcassa - why the hell did they suddenly decided to heads _and_ alliance?)

Though he wanted to know who they were meeting, Coyote trusted that Reborn wouldn't do anything that will hurt Vongola's interest; hence, the Storm tossed his suspicions into the back of his head in favor of tackling the other works that has been piling up since who-knows-when.

As of now, he had just finished ordering around a few subordinates and planned to check in with Schnitten -

"COYOTE!"

\- said man took in a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose as he turned to the speaker. "Iemitsu, why are you back so quickly?" If his memories hadn't fail him (as they _shouldn't_ ), the man should be in the Alps negotiating with the Vindice.

"Because Mukuro has already been let out!" Sawada Iemitsu answered, frowning with a stern look in his eyes.

"Isn't that a good -" Coyote paused, reconsidering the Head CEDEF's wording. "- before you got there?"

Iemitsu nodded. "By the time I got to Vendicare, Mukuro had already left with his custodian." Which was also the reason why he had returned to Vongola HQ so early. He would've called right after he got the information, but the Alps was the Vindice's territory and they prohibited any communication to the outside world as long as you were still on their turf - so... no signal.

Coyote narrowed his eyes, frowning as he wondered, in mild shock, just who had the ability to talk the Vindice into handing over one that they labeled as one of their more dangerous prisoners.

He didn't ponder over this problem for long though, because -

 _"You have no idea how - oh_ hey, Coyote!"

\- Dino's voice floated over and gained his and Iemitsu's attention.

Now, it wouldn't be anything special if it was _just_ the Chiavarone Don since the blonde is a good friend and regular visitor of Vongola Mansion. However, that wasn't the case. (The fact that he had spoken in Japanese for the first part of his sentence was proof of this as well.)

"Dino," Coyote scowled disapprovingly, he had only spared a swift glance at the two Asian teenagers following said man over before retrieving his gaze. "What have I said about bringing guests over during this period of time?"

"Don't bring them, I know,"Dino answered, sounding almost lackadaisical as he scratched the back of his head sheepishly. _"_ But they aren't exactly... _my_ guests."

"... pardon?" Coyote, once again, shifted his gaze to the two unknowns but as he carefully sized the two teenagers up, what he noticed made his eyes widen. He zero'ed in on the brunet, both alarmed and alerted."Who..."

"Hey..." Iemitsu cut the Storm off short as he stared long and hard on the very same brunet. "You look... familiar."

Coyote looked at the blonde beside him as if he was an idiot because of the latter's obvious comment.

 _Familiar?_ That shouldn't be the only case. He and all of the inner echelon of Vongola have seen the collection of portraits that had been the foundation of Vongola in each generation as time passed.

The kid didn't just _look_ familiar, he was the carbon copy of -

"Tsunayoshi Sawada," the Primo-lookalike tucked his hands in his pant pockets and smiled as he introduced himself, surprisingly, in very, _very_ fluent Italian for someone who wasn't of Italian origin (Coyote couldn't even pick up an accent!). "Nice to meet you."

.

.

.

Coyote blanked out. _Say what?_

"S-Sawada...?" Iemitsu stammered, taking a step back. "As in..."

The brunet silently stared at the man without making another sound, causing the tension to turn taut in the room.

The eerie silence caused Dino to worry as he looked back and forth between the two parties, he didn't know much about the brunet but he was told of his origins. He wasn't sure how the boy was going to react now that he has seen his father in the flesh, but something told him that Tsuna wasn't the reckless type. But as much as he trusted that feeling of his, the cold, foreign look in Tsuna's sunset-orange orbs was a bit unsettling.

"... so you still remember?" Tsuna finally broke the long pregnant silence, he remained rather stoic in the face of the father Sawada Tsunayoshi haven't seen in _years._ He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he looked at Iemitsu directly in the eyes. "I thought you forgot that there was still another one in the family."

Coyote blinked, staring between Tsuna and Iemitsu before shooting a puzzled glance at Dino - since, obviously, Tsuna and Iemitsu were too busy, he didn't know Enma, so the blonde mafia don was the only one Coyote could turn to for answers. He very much want to ask what in the freakin' hell was going on, but the tensed atmosphere around them made him unable to speak - which was strange if he thought about it.

However, that very same tension dissipated in the next second when the brunet smiled, eyes squinted and all to express his supposed-bright mood. "That aside, I heard that you went to pick up Rokudo Mukuro."

"How did you come to know of this?" Coyote inquired cautiously, alert and ready for any unexpected twist of events. "Just who are you?"

Tsuna stared at Coyote for several long seconds, long enough that it actually made the Storm's hair stand on ends. Fortunately, the man was relieved of Tsuna's unfathomable sunset-orange eyes when the latter shifted his attention to Iemitsu.

"Do you want to them to know?"

Coyote knitted his brows when he was ignored, however, that didn't mean he couldn't made heads or tails of what was happening. Especially with the brunet's introduction just now. He had only asked in order to confirm his suspicion, but now? By the looks of things, Coyote had already gotten the answer.

"Iemitsu Sawada," Coyote was near growling as he glared at the blonde beside him. "Didn't you say that Ienari was an ** _only child_**?" So what the hell was with a Tsunayoshi Sawada? Was what he _really_ wanted to ask, but he didn't want to offend the aforementioned boy.

Although he admits that Iemtisu is an expert in his field, there were times when the latter's IQ just... switches off on him. (And believe Coyote when he says that it happens more often that any of them would like.) So it didn't come as too much of a shock to him that Iemitsu seemed to have completely omitted to having another son - but that did _not_ mean Coyote wasn't going to teach him a lesson for this.

On another note, what he wanted to know more, was if the brunet was really Iemitsu's son and not Vongola Primo's because _hell,_ he would believe more in the latter than the former!

Iemitsu, however, wasn't in the mood to answer Coyote's pressing question. He was currently staring at Tsuna with wide, teary eyes filled with fatherly-love...?

Enma's brows pricked at the sight and as much as he wanted to remain as the backdrop -

"TUNAFISHY?!"

\- "Pfft - !" He couldn't help snickering at Tsuna's embarrassing nickname, which successfully revealed his existence in the room.

Tsuna's eye twitched at both the address and Enma's stifled laughter.

"Enma, shut up." He growled at his best friend while conveniently avoiding a tackling Iemitsu, his facade almost collapsing. "Iemitsu, will you please act like a grown up for Pete's sake?"

"Tunafish!" Iemitsu gave a melodramatic gasp. "What happened to you?! You used to follow me around with those stubby little legs of yours and call me daddy all the time!"

"..." Tsuna felt the goosebumps. No one knew just how much wanted to punch the man in the face right now. Really.

"Wait, hold on," Iemitsu's brain seemed to have finally started to kick back up after that little interlude. "When were you awake? Why didn't Nana tell me? You learned how to speak Italian? More importantly, _why_ are you here?"

"I -" Before Tsuna could even began, Iemitsu walked over in large strides and held tightly onto the brunet's shoulders.

"I don't know who told you about our line of work, but you shouldn't be here." Iemitsu said solemnly like a father giving a well-deserved lecture to his child. "Your brother has been trained for this for years, so I don't think you should come and mess things up for him..."

Tsuna lowered his gaze, his sunset-orange orbs dimmed briefly with disappointment but it disappeared as quick as it came that no one noticed. It was hard to believe that this was the man's first concern when he saw him.

 _How laughable._ Tsuna thought sarcastically, feeling bitter for Tsunayoshi.

"... you're the older one, so you should be more considerate to your younger brother. He's a good candidate, and way stronger than you are now - I wouldn't exaggerate if he surpasses me one day. So the right to Vongola is now his, don't fight him-"

"Okay, the hell."Enma couldn't take it any longer as he looked at Iemitsu strangely. "Since when had Tsuna told you that he was here to take what is Ienari's?" He then tapped at his temple, sarcasm filling up to the brim in his voice. "I think you need to go to the doctor to get this checked."

Iemitsu frowned at the redhead, and finally noticing Enma for the first time."Who are you?"

"I don't have to answer to you." Enma looked the man up and down, his face one of disapproval before he turned to Tsuna. "I think I like the other one better."

"..." Haha. Tsuna deadpanned at his best friend.

"If you don't state your identity and purpose, then I'm going to assume that you're an intruder on Vongola territory. You don't want to know what happens after, do you?" Iemitsu warned solemnly. And it was that very threat that caused Tsuna to finally raise his voice.

"Iemtisu," Tsuna pried the blonde's hands off of his shoulders, voice stern and eyes sharp. "He's my friend so... **shut up**."

In that very moment, Tsuna no longer held back the bearing that had been already been etched into his very soul. His friends and family were his bottom line, he wasn't going to let any of them to get into danger - much less being threatened.

Coyote couldn't help but give second glances back at the protective brunet, who now quite resemble a lion guarding its cub. It has been a long time since anyone's presence could affect him like Tsuna did now. The aura that the boy was emitting was... formidable - the image of Primo flickered across his mind. Though it was just a portrait, but Coyote could still detect the towering presence that had once belonged to Vongola's strongest. And that very same aura was lingering around the scrawny brunet _so_ evidently that it wouldn't be a joke if Coyote said he saw Vongola Primo's shadow behind the boy.

His thoughts turned, if this boy was to lead Vongola... he wouldn't guarantee that it would return to its former days, but Vongola would certainly turn for the better. Though, this might just be his wishful thinking. Because as much as Tsuna displayed that he had the right character for the post, Coyote wasn't sure if he had the physical strength to hold it. (The Storm didn't want to judge a book but its cover but the brunet was just... _too scrawny_.)

Tsuna spared a cool glance at a stunned Iemitsu, but just as he was about to speak -

 ** _BOOOOM!_**

\- "Aye, aye, aye..." Groaned an average-looking guy with average brown hair and average - overall, the man appeared so ordinary that he could blend with the crowd. Hell, even the sword he was holding looked as though it was one of the massed produced weapons (and it was). "Vongola's security is getting more and more annoying."

"This one's rather troublesome." His partner, a young man with navy blue hair flanking his frame and tied into a thin, low ponytail behind his head, rolled his amber-brown eyes. He looked thoughtful as he brushed the invisible dirt away from the sleeves of his navy blue coat. "I wonder who remodeled it..."

Both of them had just blasted onto Vongola property after evading, deflecting, and destroying the automatic weapons that had hindered their way in and how the machines were operating rather effectively stunned them momentarily. Of course, the reason being that they had snuck into Vongola several times before but this was the first that they were 'caught' before they could do anything (It goes to show how much of a mess Vongola was before). However, after the initial surprise, the duo didn't seem worried about that they were discovered and had to face one of the Ninth Generation Vongola Guardians, who, by the way, was still in front of them because the man had taken the hit as they aimed at the mansion.

"Aye," The brown-haired man sighed, swinging his sword onto his shoulder. "I don't think it's worth going through all this trouble to get that Serpentine guy out now. You, Jin?"

Jin remained silence, which gave the opportunity to one of the remaining Serpentine men that had followed the duo into Vongola territory. "Sir, you promised to help us save our boss..."

"Aye, did we?" The brown-haired man tilted his head, looking almost innocent as he faced the three mafioso. "Why do I remember saying that we'll help you guys get in, but whether we'll lend a hand afterwards will depend on our mood?"

"T-that..."

"We're not going to do something that'll mess up our boss's plan, aye," The man continued with a lazy smile. "But if your Family still have some use to us, then we'll get him out. If not..."

"That's enough wasting time," Jin interrupted stoically, narrowing his eyes at a particular spot of the Vongola Mansion while leaving some of his attention on the coughing Vongola Guardian, who was starting to get back up.

"Schnitten Brabanters of Vongola, I suggest you remain staying down." Jin threatened flatly as a playing card spun at the tip of his index finger with neon green lightning coursing from his hand to the card. He then clasp the card between his index and middle finger and pointed it at the Vongola Guardian. "You should realize that you can't take us on in your state."

"C-cut... the-" Schnitten tasted iron as blood tickled at the back of his throat, causing him to cough so violently that he had to prop his arm against the wall to steady himself. However, his sorry state did stop his anger from boiling as Rain flames flickered into existence around him. "-CRAP...!"

Jin titled his head at the sight, his gaze looked as though he was appreciating an art. "I'm amazed that you managed to summon your flames without utilizing your ring." After all, the only existences that were able to channel flames into reality as of now were the Trinisette Set. Though the research in Dying Will Flames were making breakthroughs one after the next, they weren't exactly ten years in the future, where rings and boxes were mass produced and distributed, which meant people have easier access to flames.

That was why Jin appreciated Schitten, because at the very least, the Rain Guardian proved that he wasn't useless in the face of the strong (then again, people who couldn't use flames were all useless in his eyes).

"Yeah, well," Schittenwiped the blood off of the corner of his mouth. "I gotta learn _something_ after using flames with a ring for a half of my life."

"Really..." Jin hummed in thought as he played with the green ring on his finger for a short moment before throwing a few card out like daggers and they whizzed through the air towards Schnitten. The latter tried to dodge but some of the cards still managed to pin him against the wall behind him around the sleeve collar of his shirt and at the corner of his waist.

Schittenhad a foreboding feeling about his situation so he did his best to will his flames Tranquility effect to soften the damage just as Jin snapped his finger. The snapping seemed like a trigger as the neon green lightning that was coursing violently through the cards found the channel to come out.

"Nggghh- !" Schittengritted his teeth, as agonizing pain of being zapped by lightning. He couldn't help but cough out blood again when the red liquid tickled his throat like acid.

"As much as I would like to see how well you can control your flames, I don't have the time for it," Jin remarked as he walked past Schnitten.

"Aye! Jin, wait up!" The average-looking man blinked before chasing after said man down the hall. However, they didn't get very far when they felt a sudden invisible push that-

 ** _CRASH!_**

-send them hurtle towards the wall a distance from them at break neck speed.

"What the-" Jin grimaced as pain spread through his limbs. He tried to move, but the presence of that invisible force denied him of his movement. He pried open his eyes, seeing the culprit that had send him and his fellow infiltrators into this stake. "You... you're-"

"Yeah," The redhaired teen stared at them darkly as he shifted his hand and Jin and his companions were send colliding towards the ceiling before he released the effect of his Gravity field, leaving them falling to the ground like broken dolls. "Long time no see."

When he had sensed that familiar hostile flame signature, Kozato Enma's memories surfaced in Enma's head. Intense hatred clouded his mind and a burning anger lit up in his chest as he instantly entered Hyper Dying Will mode and speed to where the explosion took place, wanting nothing more to- _killthemkillthemKILLTHEM!_

After all, these two were the very ones that had hunted down his family- _Kozato Enma's family_. He could feel his parallel's- _nonono leave us alone let us go letusgo_ \- fear, devastation, pain, anger, hatred affecting his own emotions. They were especially powerful and effective when Enma though of how _his_ family had died as well. _(Whywhywhy-why do they have to die? Why are you still here when they're all gone gone_ g _O N_ e ? _!)_

"Enma!" Tsuna exclaimed after he and the others caught up to the redhead. He noticed that his best friend was off, it was that same mental state he had wallowed into before and - and he couldn't let Enma fall into that broken state. He grabbed the teen by the shoulders and shook him frantically as transferred Sky's Harmony over to stabilize Enma's roiling Earth (otherwise, they'll be dealing with a collapsed ceiling very soon). "Snap out of it!"

"They..." Hatred was still visible his eyes, Tsuna noticed, but it was slowly dissipating as Enma divert his gaze to the brunet. "... because of _them,_ Tsuna. They are _gone_ because of them!"

Though it was vague, but Tsuna knew what Enma meant. Now, both of them were aware that taking Dante Serpentine hostage would lead to certain consequences, such as facing a rescue attempt, but they were prepared for that (they never expected the Serpentine men to actually abid by Tsuna's demand from before anyways).

But... they didn't expect this. They didn't expect Serpentine Dante to have such an important spot in the enemy alliance for the alliance head to send two of its inner echelons to come get him out.

Tsuna fell silent for several long seconds, showing the conflict in his sunset-orange eyes. However, he wasn't given the time to make a decision when his Intuition was screaming at him to dodge.

He pulled Enma along as they barely avoided being stabbed by three cards that was thrown their way.

"B-be careful..." Schitten coughed, he had his free hand covering over one of the more serious bleeding wounds on his body while being supported by Coyote when the Storm made it to the scene. He may not known who the two kids were, but it didn't stop him from warning them. Besides, Dino, Iemitsu and his fellow Guardian didn't seem to mind the presence of the two teens, else they couldn't be here in the first place. "Th-they... pretty s-strong... flame wielders."

"I'm surprised," Jin stood up, pulling out three new cards more cards from his deck and holding them between his fingers as his free hand wiped the little that spilled from the cut on his cheek. "It's no wonder we couldn't find your body after you jump off of that cliff. You've been hiding right under our noses this hold time, haven't you?"

Jin's comment surprised and confusion most of the people at the scene, but he didn't spare time to elaborate further.

"Aye, we sure reaped an unexpected reward from this time's infiltration." Jin's companion grinned lightly, swinging his sword over his shoulder. "Enma Kozato, descendant and current head of the Simon Famiglia. Our boss would like to invite ya for a friendly talk."

"..." Bangs shadowed Enma's eyes as he began summon spheres of gravity around himself. "Tsuna, go help Brabanters-san. He needs immediate treatment and there isn't a Sun around to do it."

"Enma..." Tsuna's brows furrowed with worry when he saw that odd look in the redhead's eyes. "What do you think you-"

"Tsuna." Enma interrupted the brunet, giving the latter a firm look that expressed his thoughts more than his spoken words ever did. "You know you can't change my mind when the chance is right in front of me."

"But that doesn't mean-"

" **Tsuna.** " Red compass eyes burned with a bright yearning as Enma grinned. "You would do the same if you're in my shoes." Right as the last syllable fell, Enma launched himself towards the attacking enemies and blasting them towards the wall with the intention to send them outside of the building.

Tsuna pursed his lips as he watched his friend go. He knew that in most situations, there wasn't a plan that could make the best of both worlds, and a decision with the least amount of sacrifices may not necessarily be the best one.

Tsuna was molded into a boss, and as a leader, he needed to make decisions that would be in the _best interest_ of the people that decided to entrust their lives in his hands. It didn't mean he liked the idea and looking back, he complained and complained and complained. But his words never did match up with his actions, for he had stood at the very front and became the very Sky that protected everyone while they roam freely. That was why even though his Guardians caused a lot of paperwork for him, Tsuna never did really try to restrict their freedom. (To be honest, he was just babysitting the nutjobs.)

 ** _"You're the embodiment of the Sky of Vongola, Tsuna."_**

He remembered Giotto remarking proudly time and time again through his years of growing up, because he influenced, understood, and accepted his friends and family.

 ** _"The Encompassing Sky-or, maybe you can even say Transcendent in your case."_**

Reborn had remarked in his adult years, because he had done beyond his role. After all, not all Skies would stretch their hands out to their enemies. And not all Skies did their best to protect their Elements as the Elements roamed and acted freely of their own judgement. And most of all, not all Skies have the ability to attract other Skies towards them like Tsuna did. (Because although Skies are understanding and reasonable, they are first and foremost, _leaders_ , their prides, duties, _ambitions_ as leaders wouldn't easily allow them to submit.)

Tsuna sighed, running a hand through his hair with a weary smile playing on his lips and-

"F**k you, Enma."

-The three words embodied all of his frustrations because saying anything else would be completely useless, seeing as to how the culprit wasn't present anymore to accept the brunt of it (and that would be a complete waste of breath).

And although he complained (like all the other times), Tsuna still made his way towards Schnitten. Then under the Rain and Storm Guardians' doubtful gazes, he lit up Sun flames.

* * *

Schitten was, for the lack of a better word, lost - and Coyote wasn't doing any better either.

Let's not mention the fact that the brunet resembled _too_ much like Vongola Primo from the portraits hanging in a part of the mansion, just the fact that the boy could wield _Sun flames_ without much difficulty was enough to throw him in for a loop (and hurt his pride while he was at it because a _kid_ was able to summon his flames without a ring or a specially built weapon-don't bring up the Varia with him. He decided that the Varia was an anomaly, and they will _stay_ that way).

"Schitten," Reborn snapped the Rain out of it. The hitman had arrived shortly after Enma had drove the enemies out of the mansion and disappear, and send the kids into another room while he gathered the adults for an impromptu meeting. "What do you think?"

"Pardon?" The tired man smiled sheepishly as he scratched his cheek.

Reborn gave the other a look, but decided to let Schitten go for his momentarily daze. "Of Tartaruga."

"Didn't we go over this plenty of times already in the last month or so?" Schitten didn't know why they were on this topic when all of them knew that although the Tartaruga Famiglia was a new Family, its strength shouldn't be underestimated.

After all, it had taken them awhile to learn that it was Tartaruga Famiglia that was targeting Vongola, controlling everything behind the curtains - and this was after Reborn suddenly told them to pay more attention to them a while back.

" _But,_ if you really want my opinion," Schitten pursed his lips. "...We, as the older generation, don't stand a chance as of now, let alone the kids." He leaned against the wall, focusing his line of sight on the window next to him. "There's just something... _off_ about the one I fought."

"Off?" Coyote raised a brow. "Care to explain?"

"I don't know," Schitten pinched the bridge of his nose. "Flames represent the purest Elements inside of us right? That guy, Jin's flames... there's something about it that's just not _right_."

He couldn't help ruffling his hair into a mess out of frustration. Everything went down hill after Nono fell, especially him and his fellow Guardians. That warm, soothing connection they had with their Sky was getting colder and colder as time went pass and it affected all of them in some way.

(He blamed it on those _Tartaruga b*****ds_ , they have zero'ed in on the culprit rather late but the damn Turtles were the ones who put Nono in his current state.)

"Let's set that aside for now," Schnitten decided, staring at Reborn right in the eye. "Why don't you fill us in with the kids-or more specially, the two from before."

Coyote's brow twitched at the reminder. "Yes, I would like to know _why_ Iemitsu hid from us the fact that he had another kid."

"He what-?!" Schitten whipped his head around to stared wide-eyed at the Storm, then at the CEDEF Head. "Wait, aren't you a Sky? Why do you have a kid with _Sun_ flames? I thought Skies are dominant genes!"

"He's not a Sun, dumbass." Xanxus scoffed, having been called in by Reborn because he was still within the Mansion after giving Ienari a pounding and because he can't exactly defy Reborn... he was dragged into this useless talk. "At least, it's not his main."

"..." Schitten took in a deep breath to steel his nerve. "Then he's...?"

.

.

.

Ienari looked worriedly over at Tsuna, who had clicked the lid of his pocket watch open, staring absentmindedly at the frozen hands.

He and his guardians received the news of attack a bit too late, as they were preoccupied by what Reborn had tasked them to do. Moreover, explosions seemed to be a normal occurrence in Vongola mansion, so it wasn't exactly their first reaction to think that it was an enemy attack.

This kind of mindset wasn't right, all of them knew now and Ienari couldn't help but feel guilty for Tsuna to experience this kind of thing the day he arrived.

He wasn't the only one that was worried about the brunet either, seeing how his guardians were looking in Tsuna's direction as well-they just didn't know where or how to start. After all, they didn't know what Enma was trying to do by luring the enemies away and disappear without a way to contact them, but the two were close-knitted friends.

Sometimes, Ienari was envious. Envious of how Enma and Tsuna acted so naturally around each other despite only knowing each other for short period of time. Then again, the Enma was just as enigmatic as his brother, so maybe that's why the got along so well.

The blonde sighed dejectedly, wondering if there would be a day he could actually understand Tsuna as well as Enma does.

"T-Tsuna-san..." Dokuro was, surprisingly, the first to speak to the brunet. She stood in front of Tsuna, hesitating for a moment before using her illusions to make a blue iris appear before Tsuna. "...h-here..."

The brunet blinked as he stared at the flower that was pushed into his hand.

 **"Boss, here," Chrome smiled as she gave Tsuna a blue iris when the latter was muddled with worry. The brunet's state was completely justifiable, because the Vongola Decimo had only taken office recently and there was just _so_ much that he needed to do.**

 **"... Chrome, as much as I like flowers," Tsuna took the iris anyways as he continued to rant. "I don't think this is the time to admire them-I mean it, you only gave me one."**

 **"Boss," Chrome giggled. "Do you know the meaning of blue irises?"**

 **"... Wha?"**

 **"Hope and faith," Chrome answered and the iris in Tsuna's hand disappeared. In its place was a violet butterfly that flew out of the brunet's hand. Both of them watched it flew up and around the room, and oddly enough, Tsuna felt his anxiousness flying away as well.**

 **"Have faith in us, Boss, like you always do."**

Tsuna smiled softly when the iris transformed into a butterfly and fly away like the one in his memories.

He looked up at Dokuro, sunset-orange eyes bright and warm. "Thank you, _Chrome_."

"... Mm!" The half-Mist's eyes flickered with a strange light, but she returned Tsuna's smile. None of them knew that she was responding for the familiar-yet-not presence that had been with her ever since Tsuna's appearance. Dokuro didn't know the reason for its appearance, but it had something to do with Tsuna. And although it affected how she and the others had treated the brunet, none of them would deny the fact that they started treating Tsuna as an important addition to their group later on.

Maybe it was because their bonds with Tsuna were getting stronger, but those emotions-not-theirs tried not to urge them as much anymore, but there always seemed to be that obscure guidance that pointed them into the right direction when they trained with their flames sometimes. However, she and the other guardians never really attempted to come into contact with them, silently accepting the presences of that other and the help that they gave. (It was still a rather uncomfortable thought, after all, to think that there was some other _thing_ that was residing inside of them.)

However, Dokuro felt the that other seemed more worried over Tsuna than any of them would ever be (because that tug at their heartstrings was all too evident) and because she also didn't want to see Tsuna troubled like that as well, she took the first step to come in touch with that strange feeling. The idea was also given, although vaguely, given to her by that other.

Judging from Tsuna's reaction, he was becoming aware of it as well.

Dokuro was curious though, just what kind of connection do 'they' have?

Tsuna closed the lid to his pocket watch and stood up. "I'm never really one to sit around when I could be doing something anyways."

"Onii?" Ienari questioned as his eyes trailed after the brunet when the latter started heading for the door. "Where are you going?"

"Isn't it obvi-" Tsuna was about to reach for the door handle when said door swung open. The brunet had to mentally thanke his Intuition for the split second warning because he manged to avoid being slammed in the face by the door. "A warning would be nice, Xanxus..."

Said Varia head rolled his eyes. "You dodged, didn't you?"

Tsuna sighed in defeat and mumbled something along the line of 'no one ever knock on doors'. Xanxus appreciated the sigh for a split second before getting to the point. "They're looking for you, brat," He paused before adding as he looked behind Tsuna. "And the trashes."

"... and why did you agree to be the messenger?" Tsuna raised a brow, somewhat incredulous. (Of course that's the more important point Tsuna.)

"..." It was such a mind-boggling question that Xanxus didn't know how to answer it. "Look brat, are you coming or are you coming?"

The brunet's mouth twitched. "Coming! Of course I'm coming! Where else would I be going to anyways?" He then towards Ienari and his guardians. "C'mon guys!"

* * *

In a forest in a distant part of Venice-

 ** _BOOM!_**

-Enma was still in combat after luring Jin and Steve away from populated areas.

He recoiled out of the smoke that resulted from the collision that his Gravity Spheres made against electrically charged cards and Cloud-duplicated swords. He wasn't given the chance to take a breather when he detected another attack coming from the corner of his eyes.

With a flicker of his hand, Enma fired large spheres of gravity formed from his Gravita Della Terra. He then split the spheres into two groups, one for redirecting the attack cards while the other-though they didn't make it on time-fend off Steve, who had appeared next to him.

Enma winced as he gave a glance to the new bleeding wound he sported on his shoulder after his gravity spheres pushed Steve into the ground a distance away from the tree that Jin was perching on.

With both of hands free, he utilized his manipulation of gravity, concentrating only on one particular spot to make it the most effective. The tree that Jin stood on was thrown violently to the side along with the man. Enma then changed the direction of gravity so that Jin and the tree came crushing down on Steve, who was starting to get back up again.

The crash was heavy enough that it shook the very earth. However, as powerful as it was, Enma couldn't hold gravity per control for a long period of time with his current state. He was forced to relinquish his control of gravity as few seconds later, panting heavily as he landed slowly on a tree branch.

Maybe he was just too tired, but Enma didn't show much surprise when Jin and Steve stood back up.

"Tch," He clicked his tongue, readying to re-enter battle when a Lightning-enhanced card cut off the branch that he was perching on.

While he was down, Jin threw more cards to surround Enma both on the ground and in the air. He snapped his fingers and a Lightning barrier caged Enma in and he was in for an electrocution.

"Aye..." Steve ruffled his hair as he stood next to Jin. "He's stronger than the last time we saw him."

Jin surveyed his injuries before shifting his gaze to a now unconscious Enma, it has been a while since he have received this much damage. "He's trying to get revenge after all."

"But at least we finally got scored a big fish!" Steve chirped as he skipped over to Enma.

"I suppose..." Jin hummed in thought. He didn't know why, but there was just something about this that didn't seem... _right_.

* * *

Tsuna sat down along with the Tenth generation in a room filled with five adults (Reborn excluded because.. well, it was based on physical appearance), ignoring the fact that three of the five were trying to bore a hole through him with those intense stares. "So... what's up, Reborn?"

Given the baton to speak first, Reborn didn't waste time. "A lot. But first, do you know the two that had trespassed onto Vongola territory?"

"Um... I know they're from the Tartaruga Famiglia but," Tsuna replied sheepishly. "But I don't know their names."

"The one that used cards as a weapon is Jin Lancaster, he's a Lightning flame user," Schitten supplied. "The other one's a Cloud, his name is... Steve."

Tsuna waited.

.

.

.

"... T-that's it? Just... Just... _Steve_?" Holy crap, why was he was using a dramatic pause before the name too?!

"... I know." The corner of Schitten's mouth twitched for a moment. "He's really just... Steve."

"...ahem," Tsuna took a split second to accept that oddity. "Right, sorry, continue."

The infant hitman gave the brunet a look, but took the baton again. "Since you know full well that they're from the Tartaruga Family, then you _should_ know what Enma is getting himself into, right?"

"..." Tsuna stayed silent for a brief moment, but it was long enough for the others in the room to think that he wasn't going to answer. "Of course."

He looked straight at Reborn. "But I can't stop him."

"You can't, or you won't?" The Sun Arcobaleno raised a brow.

"As sharp as ever." The brunet chuckled. "I can't and I _won't_ stop Enma from his choice. I don't have the right to because I know I would do the same if I'm given the chance."

"What is he trying to do?"

"Any good boss would do," Tsuna grinned. "Save his family." At several surprised looks, Tsuna continued. "I think all of you now know Enma's background, right?"

"The lost Simon Famgilia, holders of the Flames of the Earth." Coyote responded, Reborn had given them the briefing on the redhead's origins.

"He told me that the Tartaruga was hunting his Family down one by one before he and I met," The brunet elaborated. "There's a bond, y'know, when members of the Elements are a close-knitted group. Enma could feel that his bonds are still with him, weak as they were. So his guardians are still alive. He just needed the right opportunity to find where the Tartarugas are keeping them."

"So he used himself as bait?" Reborn frowned in disapproval. "That's the most idiotic move both for him _and_ for you to make yet."

"Reborn," Tsuna gave the infant a firm look. "There's no plans that could made the best of two worlds. Who knows how long Enma's family will continue to hold up. He had told me before that he sensed their bonds, but they're getting weaker by the down and it's been _months_ already."

The listeners felt the change that Tsuna was taking as he continued talking, that imposing aura was hardly something that could be ignored.

"If I can't make the safest choice with the least amount of damage, then I'll choice the most efficient one," Sunset-orange eyes burned with a certain resolution and everyone seemed to be able to see that shadow standing firm behind the brunet.

"He's putting himself in danger though," Dino countered with both disapproval of Tsuna words and worry for Enma.

"He _is_ in danger," Tsuna admitted, eyes hidden behind his bangs as his grip on his pocket watch tightened. "But that's why _I'm_ here. I know his capabilities, I know he wouldn't allow himself to get in trouble, that's why I didn't stop him. But even if he does, **I'm still here.** "

"I _will_ pull him out like I did all the other times, like he and the others have done for me." Tsuna showered them all with a confident, prideful grin. "It's my job, after all, as a Sky- _a Vongola Sky_ -to protect them all as they themselves do as they please."

* * *

 **A/N: Guys, I'm alive~! :DDDD**

 **I'm so sorry for being inactive for... erm... around half a year (￣▽￣;) I don't have any excuses other than... busy with classes and just not feeling... the mood to write...? Yeah? Yeah.**

 **Anyways, I have been working on this chapter for... more than two month? I don't know if taking a long break in the middle and taking a week to finish up the rest counts but I did, so I don't know if everything will flow smoothly (I literally cut off like 6k's worth of words-of which the contents will probably never make an appearance-and restarted with the 4k left over). You guys are welcome to point out mistakes!**

 **Also, irises. I don't know much on flower languages so I'm just going to trust whatever I find online...**

 **And dear lord, I'm having a coughing fit for an entire week now (caught a cold on the last day of my finals-which was _horrid_ ), and I'm losing sleep over it (╯•﹏•╰)**

 **I think that's all so... happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	39. Inner Demons

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Enma never thought himself as a genius - and probably never well (whoever wants to claim that title, be his guest). And he wasn't going to deny it, using himself as bait and getting _zapped_ was probably one of most stupid moves he could've made (Reborn would've liked to twist the knife by congratulating him for being aware of his low IQ).

But he _couldn't wait anymore_.

It's been about... a month? Two months? (He hasn't exactly been counting the days since he first opened his eyes somewhere off the shores of the Hokkaido province of Japan) since he had arrived. If it hadn't been the feeble bonds he felt, he might have been overwhelmed by the pure anger, hate, regret, resentment, grief - _anguish_ when he was assaulted by memories-not-his as well as the ones engraved in his mind of the nightmarish days he wallowed through before he had died. The ones that told him, proved to him that he _wasn't_ Enma Kozato who died at age sixteen but the one who had died at age _twenty-six._

 _They'realivet_ _hey'realive_ ** _they're alive_** , he repeated that mantra to himself as he resisted the urge to look for his family right then and there - because his all but crippled state did not allow him to do so _and_ because he remembered why he was _here_ in the first place.

.

.

.

 **It was dark, dark, _dark_ and Enma never really liked the dark. It reminded him too much of the room he was confined in, transformed into _something-not-him_.**

 **He couldn't move, couldn't make an sound, _couldn't open his eyes_ \- yet, he could still _hear._**

 **He heard the cries of the Sky he considered his brother, the Sky that he had bonded with, and that very Sky that had pulled him out of that darkness years ago.**

 **"What do you mean he is losing his will to live?!"**

 ** _... Will to live?_ Enma thought dully, memories rushed through his mind of the scenes where his guardians pushed him away and told him to continue moving, to continue escaping, to continue _living_.**

 ** _Haha..._ he would've laughed scathingly to himself outloud if he could. What was there to live now that _they're_ gone?**

 **"Enma -" He felt his friend taking hold of his arm and shaking it along with his body. "Enma, you can't - _please..._!"**

 **For a second, he thought that Tsuna was selfish. His family left him already but the man still wanted _him_ to remain? But then again, he would have probably down the same to Tsuna if their roles were switched. **

**They were family after all, and they would do anything to prevent a member of their family from leaving.**

 **"Enma..." Tsuna was crying, and how he hated even the _sound_ of that. "Why? Why did you guys have to go on some stupid investigation?"**

 ** _Why?_ Enma pondered that himself for a second before he came to an answer. **_**Right! The reason... the reason -** Tsuna **...!**_

 **He tried to move, tried to scream to get his friend's attention but to no avail. He was frantic of his inability to do _anything_ after everything, but he he _just couldn't let everything go to waste_ \- not when they have lost so _so_ much already!**

 ** _Tsuna...!_**

 **His message never did get itself across even with Tsuna's Hyper Intuition because, well, he _couldn't talk._ He could only lie there helplessly as days passed, as his brother's mental state get worse - and so were the news that he brought. (It was to the point that Enma _really_ wished that Tsuna didn't come visit him anymore - because maybe, _just maybe,_ there wasn't anyone critically injured or _dying_ , for that matter, of a war that _shouldn't happen._**

 **He knew he didn't have much time left, even if he'd struggled, because his body was beyond repair. However, he _still_ need to let Tsuna know just _who_ they were up against!**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **"So... how's life, En-chan?"**

 **... _Byakuran?_ Enma would've shifted his head from its position facing the ceiling if he could, he wanted to know how the Gesso was doing because he had never sounded so _weak_.**

 **"I know," Judging by the ironic tone, Enma could imagine Byakuran wearing a mirthless smile - unlike the usual fox ones that he wears on regular days. "I hate to admit it, but I'm not doing any better than you are right now."**

 ** _...?_**

 **"You're probably wondering why," Byakuran just seemed to have a knack of reading his mind even if Enma didn't have his eyes opened or wore any expressions on his face, which, in retrospect, kinda creeped him out. "But well, they found my weak spot and well, I _am_ rather sensitive to parallel worlds so just think of how you're getting realistic visions - first class seats with all of your senses being stimulated - every night of your parallel selves getting murdered again and again and again. Y'know, the works."**

 ** _Well_ , Enma didn't... particular like the sound of that, much less think about it. _Sh**._**

 **"While we're on topic, the parallel worlds aren't faring any better than ours - and the numbers a increasing, by the way. Same opponent and all that. And by the time I got a vague hint of what's causing all of this, it was... too late." Byakuran sighed bleakly - and he _never_ sighed like this before, Enma thought. "Well... for the fate of this world anyways~!"**

 ** _... Byakuran, I swear to God -_ Enma was seething at how _cheerful_ the Sky Mare had sounded at the end. He had already fallen into despair by the first half of Byakuran's sentence, and the man just _had_ to pull something like this to throw him off!**

 **He heard Byakuran chuckle. "I _do_ care for this world, just so you know, but I - _none_ of us can do anything against them with how we are now. Not when they..." There was a pause before Byakuran seemed to drop what he was going to say all together. "Anyways, I don't have much time left because, well, I'm dying!"**

 **If it had been any other day, Enma would have joked along by celebrating because he was finally rid of the marshmallow freak calling 'En-chan'. But it wasn't 'any other day' and _this wasn't a joke_.**

 **"I have a plan," Byakuran finally sounded serious. "Actually, _we_ have a plan - I mean my parallel selves and I that is. We're going to borrow the power of the Trinisette and send you and Tsu-chan to a world where we think the primary source of the problem have originated from and stop it from there - and _believe_ me when I say the Trinisette had send help for that world. Hehe, it's rare to see Kawahira to voluntarily ask for help, don't you think?"**

 **Enma couldn't reply to the Sky Mare so he only listened to what seemed to be the Mare's way of trying to liven things up. He thought the man would continue going off topic but -**

 **"Enma."**

 **\- He didn't.**

 **It was one of the rare times that Byakuran called him by his name, and he knew it was because of the seriousness of the situation.**

 **"I will be sending your soul to the body of Kozato Enma of that world and the only way to do that without disturbing the _real_ soul of Kozato Enma living in that body is for you to occupy it the moment he dies, so I'll be sending you to that time."**

 **Enma would've liked to blink to express his shock. What does he _mean_ by the moment Kozato Enma dies?! Couldn't he - couldn't they have just switch bodies or something?!**

 **"We can't do anything about those who are destined to die, Enma," Byakuran's tone was oddly hollow. "We are Holders of the Trinisette. We maintain balance of the Laws to make sure nothing goes wrong, but we don't _rule_ over them. As good as that sounds, it isn't possible - believe me, I tried. Moreover, parallel world-crossing - even if it's just the soul - is a taboo; otherwise, you'll be seeing me crossing worlds everyday and taking everyone along for the trip, not communicating with my parallel selves through my powers. And I'm only making it possible this time because the _Will of Trinisette_ is allowing it."**

 **Byakuran paused before adding almost sarcastically, "Besides, it's a switch between _two_ _dying souls_ \- an exchange of a sort, one passes away while the other gets another chance... more of an extension actually, so it wouldn't make a difference even if you and him switch bodies."**

 **Enma felt Byakuran's fingers pressed against his forehead. "You'll probably be affected by the memories of your parallel self that you'll be infused with your parallel self's memories, as you should since you _are_ living someone else's life after all. I'm sure you can make a clear distinction between your own emotions and his at the moment of his death - because I don't think he was exactly... _happy_ when he died."**

 ** _Wait, Byakuran, how do you know when or how Kozato Enma dies?_**

 **"Once you settled down, find Tsunayoshi first when you get there and start making plans from there." The Sky Mare didn't seem to have read is mind that time. "Even if I die before Tsunayoshi does, he'll make it there somehow."**

 **That last comment sounded so unreliable that Enma didn't know whether this parallel world-crossing thing was even possible.**

 **At least, that was Enma's last doubt before he felt a warm that was different from Tsuna's Sky (there was a hint of mischief in them) and he felt his very soul being wrapped in warmth of the Sky.**

 **"Find the root of the problem and stop it, but remember, don't be rash." Was the last thing that resounded next to his ears as Enma's consciousness became hazy.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

Well, Kozato Enma died. But Enma didn't expect the boy to die _so young_. And just from visiting his parallel self's memories, he knew who had caused his death.

Kozato Enma was still not proficient enough with his Flames and adding to the fact that he was clouded too much by his emotions at the time, he couldn't sense the bonds he _still has_ with his guardians.

But he was _not_ that Kozato Enma. He was Simon Decimo, Holder of Simon Ring of the Earth and he _will_ fulfill Kozato Enma's dying wish _._

Upon that resolve, his Earth flames flared - and _Simon Decimo was back._

It took him a day to learn where he was and took _days_ to get to Namimori after doing a botch up job of holding his bones in place by applying Earth flames to his interior (and boy, _that_ was a brain teaser).

Since then, he had to make sure that his bonds were still there. He wasn't sure if the existence of those bonds proved what he hoped, so he didn't tell Tsuna until they arrived in Italy, where they were _stronger_ (the bond was still getting weak but the very link of the bonds were, indeed, more apparent) _-_ meaning they were here. In _Italy_.

He was worried, especially after that familiar sense of - _wrongwrongwrong_ \- as the world tilted at his foot a while back **[1]**. Because after that split second event, Enma clearly felt his bonds weakening rapidly.

So, he became anxious. Anxious of what might have happened to them and what _will_ happen to them.

Tartaruga's appearance immediately sparked an idea in his mind and he took the chance. Granted, it was... _reckless_ and Tsuna was probably going to bite his head off when he comes back and _more so_ if he came back _not_ -unscathed.

Like now.

"Awake?"

Enma pried open his eyelids, compass orbs flashing a dangerous glow as he glared at Jin, who had been leaning against the metallic wall opposite of him. They had called in a helicopter to take them back to Tartaruga base and Enma had woken up in the middle, but decided to pretend to stay asleep.

Jin didn't find anything off as he scanned the Earth flame user as the latter lied on his sides with his hands bounded.

"I'm going to have to blindfold you." The man said as raised the white cloth in his hand.

Enma scoffed as Jin approached him. "Paranoid much?"

"No," Jin replied lightly. "But it _is_ a pain if someone does escape, then come back with backup."

Enma was led out of the helicopter and they walked for quite a while, stopping here and turning there (Enma couldn't help his mouth from twitching after the _ninth_ direction change. If this wasn't being paranoid, then he didn't know what was), before arriving to what Enma assumed to be the destination.

"Oh, hey, Killjoy!" Enma heard a languid voice greeted them and he briefly wondered what kind of parents would name their child 'Killjoy'. "Is this the guy?"

"Antonio," Jin replied. "Where's our Boss? Or Vincent?"

"Somewhere," The lazy-sounding man who Enma assumed to be Antonio yawned.

"Be more specific, will you?"

"I don't know."

"..." Jin sighed exasperatedly at the half-assed answer . "I like it more when you start using your brain."

"That's work, Killjoy." Antonio commented, covering another yawn. "And you can take him underground. I'm sure our Boss and Vincent will be back soon."

"You're beyond saving," Jin retorted sarcastically as he lead Enma passed the man. "Tell me when you start thinking that _breathing_ is work. I'll gladly put you out of your misery."

"You're very considerate," Antonio replied half-heartedly. "By the way, where's The Other One?"

"Off playing his game console somewhere." Jin shouted back as he was now a few meters away.

"... You guys are... interesting." Enma finally commented after a while. They seemed to be climbing down a set of stairs now, to where he would probably be imprisoned - hopefully, where his family was or else, Enma wouldn't have any of it.

"Never a dull day," Jin remarked offhandedly as he narrowed his eyes on Enma. There was something strange about the teen, but no matter how hard or at what angle he thought about it, he just didn't know _what_ it was that was strange about the redhead.

He could only make a mental note of to analyze it later as he opened a cell and shoved Enma in. "Get comfortable, this will be your new home for an indefinite amount of time."

"And a little heads up," He closed the door and gave one last glance at Enma before he leaves. "These bars are made with anti-Flame material." Which implied that Enma couldn't bust out the obvious way.

"You could at least untie my hands!" Enma hollered a complaint towards Jin's disappearing back. However, he didn't exactly linger on that little problem for long because -

"Enma?"

\- The redhead whipped around to see - "Adel..." For a rare moment, the Simon Decimo allowed tears to cloud his sight, because Suzuki Adelheid was _alive_ ( _It's not her_ , a voice burst his bubble. But Enma didn't _care_ if it was his Glacier or not because - _damn it_ \- at least she's _alive_.)

However, the young Glacier didn't return Enma's sentiment because she was _furious_. " _What are you doing here?!_ "

"I-"

"Didn't I- _we_ tell you to run?" Suzuki hissed as both of her hands gripped tightly on the metal bars. The rest of Suzuki's rant seemed to fade because Enma noticed how his - how Kozato Enma's guardian looked ever-so pale _._ Pale as sheet with little hit of redness, bags under her eyes, and Suzuki seemed skinnier - _weaker_ \- than she was in Kozato Enma's memories.

This was what Enma was worried about. What have they been -

" _Kozato Enma!"_

\- The redhead snapped out of his train of thought, staring innocently at the fuming Glacier. (At least that got a little red back to her cheeks, Enma idly mused to himself.)

"Are you even listening?!"

"Yup," Was the automatic response. He took a few seconds to sweep the other cells to find the rest of his - Kozato Enma's guardians alive and breathing. Weak, but _alive_.

( _They'realivethey'realive they're... **they're alive** , _Enma wasn't exactly sure if that was his or Kozato Enma's solace but he'll take it because that weight on his shoulder finally lifted since the day he came to this world.)

"No, you're _not!_ " Suzuki seemed to be at her boiling point. "I know that tone of yours, Enma -"

And Enma tuned her out again, brows furrowed with distraught apparent in his eyes as he searched the prison cells again and again. _Where...Wherewherewhere?!_

"A-Adel-nee..." A weak but soft voice stopped Suzuki's yelling and Enma's attention was automatically directed themselves at the small figure lying on the bunk behind Suzuki, buried in blankets. "I... En-nii... I heard...you say... En-nii's name..."

"... M-Mami..." Enma breathed oh-so soft and gentle as his tears swelled and streaming down in his cheeks in the next second. His fingers slowly, _shakily_ , wrapped around the bars of the cell he was in. Even though the tears were blurring his vision, he didn't dare to blink nor wipe them away, because he was scared. Scared that his little sister ( _Nono not yours,_ the rational part of him said - _cried_ ) would disappear if he did anything that would bar his eyesight even for a second. (Because a second was precious, the Simon Decimo knew. From all of his experiences that took him to where he was now, a second was all it took to make a difference.)

He hadn't believed it at first when he first took glimpse of Kozato Enma's memories. The Simon Family, he knew, were rather reclusive (more so in his world than this - and admittedly, for more than one reason) because of the dangers they face once their existences were discovered. Despite being reclusive, the numbers of the Simon Famiglia decreased over time to what it was now.

So Enma wasn't ready to believe that his little sister had survived after experiencing the loss of _his_ biological family once already oh-so many years ago (He just couldn't, it has been _so, so_ long since he felt that familiar bond of blood). Not when the Simon Family of this world didn't bear any hatred for Vongola because Daemon didn't do what he was supposed to do, not when it was that very hatred that drove the remaining Simons ( _and him_ ) on the road to strengthen themselves for revenge.

(Like the Vongola of this world, the Simon weren't exactly... at the top of their games compared to the ones in his world. This one had been peaceful, _too_ peaceful that Simon had forgotten about the dangers that was mafia.)

He needed to see Mami for his own eyes to wash away that doubt in his scarred heart. (And although he didn't exactly hate Daemon anymore, a tiny part of him still blamed him. _Why? Whywhywhy couldn't he -_ )

"Mami..." Enma called, louder than the first time, but still as gentle as he would forever be to his little sister. _You're alive. You're really - **really alive**. _ Was left unsaid, because he knew, as his heart stung, that _his_ Mami was gone. (Gone, gone with most of the Simon Famiglia because they had been _weak_.)

"E-En-nii...?" The child (she should be fourteen by now, Enma idly noted, but Kozato Mami will always, _always_ be a child in his eyes) sat up, rubbing her eyes dazedly as she tried to focus her big, red eyes, a trait of all who belonged to the Simon Famiglia, towards Enma.

Enma noted how small she was despite her age - so small and fragile that she could break with just a _single touch._ Her sickly pale complexion was a stark contrast to her ruby red eyes and short red hair that was was tied in a small, thin ponytail behind her head.

Compared to Suzuki and the others, Mami looked, to Enma's pooling dread, the worse out of the group.

"I-is that... is that really you?" Mami climbed out of bed, stumbling along her way as she walked up next to Suzuki. Her tiny hands shakily wrapped themselves around the bars, staring at Enma without blinking, waiting for an answer.

"... Yeah," Enma managed a smile, closing his eyes to hide the emotions in his eyes. "It's me, Mami, it's... your En-nii." (Because he couldn't say Enma, Enma was not Kozato Mami's brother, nor could he say Kozato Enma, Enma was _not_ him either. But he was En-nii, Mami's big brother in both worlds, and always will be.)

Mami seemed to have into a daze for a moment and the lapse was long enough that it made the older redhead worry. Enma was about to open his mouth to speak voice his concern, but his words were stuck in his throat when his little sister had tears streaming down her cheeks.

"E-En-nii..." Mami's voice was near a croak as she stretched out her hands like she had done when she was five (five and alive - no, five and _dead. Not alive. No. No. Dead. Dead with the blood staining that dress she squealed over for her birthday. DeaddeADDEAD-_ ) "I... I..."

"Mami - don't -" Enma panicked, wanting nothing more than to pry apart the cells that separated him and his sibling and pull the child into his embrace, but the most he could do to the bars were to shake them noisily. "Please don't cry!"

"I..." Mami sobbed, but tried her hardest to listen to her big brother (because it was _because_ she hadn't listened to him that she was separated from him in the first place).

 **She hated hiding from one place to another. After their island, _their home_ , have been discovered and the Simons were forced to flee, Mami didn't live another comfortable life.**

 **Not when she and her brother lost their parents years ago.**

 **She wanted to run away. Far, far away and live a normal life.**

 **"M-Mami..." Her brother stopped her from the packing she was doing. "Where... where are you going?"**

 **As much as she loves her brother and his timid personality is cute and all, she couldn't help but get annoyed at him sometimes . "I'm going to a sleepover! With the friends I just made!"**

 **"What kind of friends?" Enma furrowed his brows. "Mami, w-we just moved here."**

 **"I know," Mami blew a stray hair out of her eyes, steering around her brother to continue packing. "But that doesn't mean I can't have friends, En-nii. I..." She paused for a second, her even bangs covering her eyes. "I want to live like a normal girl for once."**

 **"..." There was a moment's silence before she heard Enma sigh. "You know Adel won't let us go out alone."**

 **Mami turned around, beaming at her brother. She knew she had won him over when he said that. "But this is a _girls'_ sleepover En-nii~!"**

 **"I - I..." The redhead turned a tomato red from his neck up. "I didn't say I would go with you - I mean, that's not what I meant by it!"**

 **Mami giggled, zipping up her backpack. "I'll be counting on you to cover for me, En-nii!"**

 **"Mami," Enma seemed to be doing the last ditch effort to stop her. "Reconsider, _please_?"**

 **"Nope~!" Mami didn't even spare the time to think when she answered and refused to listen to anymore of Enma's less than convincing persuasion. She took her sleeping back and backpack, walked to her open window, climbing over it. She looked back at her brother, giving him a two-finger salute. "Thanks En-nii!"**

 **"Mami, wait!"**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **What waited her was not the friends she expected, but the hunters that seemed _so interested_ in her family's lives. She was captured and because of her, her brother and guardians were put in the danger of being hunted down and forced to be on a constant run.**

 **She wanted to run away, but _this_ was not what she had in mind.**

" _I'm sorry_..." Her voice had gone up an octave as she tried to wipe the endless tears away. "I'm sorry for not listening to you. I'm sorry for running away. I'm sorry for causing trouble. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, so so sorry, I -"

"Mami!" Enma's cry was near desperate, because he did not - _will not_ let anyone make his little sister cry (him included). He forced his voice to soften again and smiled that warm smile that Tsuna would always smile when he's comforting his family. "It's okay, Mami. As long as you're alright. We're together again, aren't we?"

It seemed to do the trick, as Mami did stop crying.

"That," Suzuki gritted, hands clenched tightly into fists and shaking. "Isn't something to be happy about."

Enma's attention finally shifted to the Glacier. (The others were silent, because Suzuki Adelheid had always been the speaker for their tight-knit group.)

"You shouldn't have gotten yourself caught," She pounded a fist against the bars, red eyes glowering in frustration at Enma, at herself, at everything. "You have _no_ f***ing idea what you got yourself into! From the short time that we separated, I thought you've changed -"

Enma involuntarily flinch.

"- But you're still the failure you were before! We told you to run, didn't we? Run like the goddamned coward you were. But you can't even do that - you didn't even listen. Why didn't you lis-"

" **Adel.** " Enma heaved a deep, _deep_ breath ( _breathe, Enma,_ He told himself. _Stay rational_ ) because he couldn't help the sting that came with the relief that his family was still alive. (Because they were not the ones he knew, not the ones that faced danger with him, _not the ones who put his live over theirs_.) He opened his eyes, not realizing he had them closed (it was probably when he saw that look in Suzuki's eyes. That look that foretold of the rather... _unpleasant_ words in her frustrated rant even if she didn't mean any harm)- he was thankful though, because he didn't want them to see the chaotic emotions swirling in his eyes. "I did run."

It was a simple sentence, but the anguish couldn't be ignored because it was just so thick you could touch it. "I ran and I ran like you - like _you all_ told me to do. But do you know what that got me?" He didn't wait for an answer as he nearly screamed, because this wasn't just Kozato Enma's experience, this was _his_ too. " ** _A f***ing crippled body and a mind to end it all._** "

(And no, not even the presence of Mami was able to restrain his vulgarity.)

He allowed anger to rage in him, because he _finally_ could express how he _hated_ seeing them make decisions for him. ( _He_ was supposed to be the leader goddammit!) "Did you think of how _I_ felt when each one of you decided to act as bait and led them off of my trail?" Enma jabbed at his chest. "It hurts dammit, it **_f***ing hurts_** _!_ I _hate_ that feeling of utter helplessness because _all I can do is run!_ "

"Enma..." Aoba Koyo spoke softly, after the initial surprise of Enma _cursing_ (for all of them) _._ Enma was never like this before and although this seemed to be a good change for the once timid boy, Koyo didn't like this constricted feeling in his chest when he saw Enma breaking emotionally. He wanted Enma to stop - _all_ of them do.

"I wanted to die," Enma didn't hear Aoba, nor did he notice any of his guardians or Mami's change in expressions. "But I knew I couldn't. I told myself you guys are still alive and that I have things to do."

"I can't stop until I find you guys," His gaze landed on each and every one of his family members, eyes set ablaze in fiery red and -

"And I won't rest until I know you're all safe and sound. Because you're my family and no one, _no one can take my family away from me without stepping over_ _my dead body_."

\- his Earth flames flared, wrapping them all in warmth and comfort of home. There was something different about this home, though, but they felt _safe_.

Everyone fell silent after Enma's words, mostly in shock.

Suzuki stared at the boy she thought she knew, eyes furrowed with worry. She didn't know what Enma had gone through in the days that they weren't around, but he has _changed_. For the better or for the worse, she didn't know, but the fact that it made him hardly _recognizable_ was a bit... discomforting.

And it didn't help that she was hallucinating. Because that shadow that seemed to appear behind Enma when the fire of his resolve lit up in his eyes resembled too much like what Enma might look like when he grows up. (That shadow had a broad shoulder, a straight back, and a _confidence_ that Enma didn't have - or at least, not before.)

"... You..." Suzuki dropped her shoulders in defeat. "You've really... grown."

"..." Enma flinched again, but quickly hide it under his sheepishly laugh (it was forced, but he tried to make it natural). "Yeah... kinda had to... when I came back from death's door."

His grip on the bars tightened. Enma was starting to understand what Tsuna was going through, because he was getting _tired_. Too tired of constantly separating dream from reality. Because to the both of them, this was a dream. A long, strenuous dream that took them from the nightmare of a reality that was their world.

He allowed himself a shaking exhale, ridding himself of all of those taxing thoughts. "What... what did they do to you guys? To Mami?"

They all paused, sharing a looking between each other without uttering another sound.

Enma silently noted down all of the confusion in their eyes, frowning because it wasn't that they didn't want to talk about it, it was because they didn't _know_.

"I'm... not so sure of it myself," Katou Julie was the first to speak, running a hand through his hair. "All they did was take us to the floor below and afterwards, we felt our flames drained from us."

"It wasn't exactly a pain-free process either," Mizuno Kaoru added. "It felt like our very souls were being split apart."

"We black out afterwards," Ooyama Rauji continued. "And when we wake up, it's back in our cells."

Enma's brows furrowed deeper. Although it wasn't much information, but the idea of his guardians getting their flames exacted wasn't a good thing. No, _not at all._

"Maybe the Mister and the baby down there knows more," Mami helpfully supplied.

"Mister?" Enma reiterated. "Baby?"

"There's a glasses-wearing man in a green kimono and a mummified infant," Suzuki elaborated, pressing a finger against her temple and rubbing circles on it. "That when I think about it now, looked like a mini Vindice. They're both imprisoned down on the floor below."

Enma's eyes widened for the briefest second (because Suzuki had obviously described Kawahira and Bermuda just now) before his expression turned serious.

There was something wrong with this. Very, _very_ wrong. The fact that the Trinisette Administrator _and_ the Head of Vindice, the former carries out the Will of Trinisette and the latter was the Holder of the Clear pacifier (an anomaly acknowledged by the Trinisette), was _captured_ spoke volumes of the extent this had evolved into.

(Enma was getting the feeling that whatever Tartaruga was attempting to do was the very problem they were looking for.)

He didn't know how they captured Kawahira, but he needed to see him. He was aware of the ancient man's capabilities, so unless it was of his own will, no one could confine him. Moreover, the man should be aware that he was here by now, but he hasn't appeared in front of Enma yet. (Shouldn't he when he was the one who send for help in the first place? Or, at least, the Trinisette did and Kawahira carried it out.) Something was up, and Enma needed answers - and hopefully, they better than the ones he had came up with.

Only thing was, the cells they were in, according to Jin, was flame-proof, so he couldn't exactly utilize his flames in any way to get out.

With that being said,"Adel, throw me one of the hairpins you're wearing."

He's got a lock to pick.

* * *

Sawada Iemitsu has a little secret. He had inclined to favor the younger of the twins ever since he laid eyes on them in the hospital on the day they were born.

It was... a subconscious behavior of his part at first, but he couldn't deny the fact that he continued doing so even when he was aware of his actions.

The twins, Ienari and Tsunayoshi, were both his sons. He knew that. He _knew_ that. But... he _couldn't help it_.

He watched both of them grow through their toddler years and out of it, watched as Ienari grew more and more like him while Tsunayoshi grew more like _him_.

Sawada Ieyasu - or as most of mafia knew him by, Vongola Giotto, the Founder and Sky Guardian of Vongola. He was his ancestor, Iemitsu's great-great grandfather.

He was the very man that Iemitsu was both proud of and hated.

Every boy has a hero when they were young and for Iemitsu, that hero was, in fact, _Vongola Giotto_ (not Sawada Ieyasu, Iemitsu would like to emphasize, _not Sawada Ieyasu_ ).

Iemitsu, unlike Tsuna, was involved with the mafia at a very young age when a man came up to his doorstep one night and announced the death of his parents and that, by family relation, he will become Iemitsu's guardian from then on.

That very man was the head of Vongola at that time, Vongola Timoteo.

He was taken under Timoteo's wing since then and was taught of the inner clockworks of the mafia as well as basic combat to protect himself.

Of the many things that Timoteo told him, his ancestor was what he had the most impression of. Because in the man's stories, Vongola Giotto was like a _hero_. He fought for justice, protected his friends and family, and have really, _really_ cool flames to beat bad guys with!

 ** _"I'm going to be just like him!"_**

Iemitsu remembered himself declaring after another history lesson on the foundation of Vongola. (It was rather naive, when Iemitsu looked back. Because he was _nothing_ like him.) He had even been _ecstatic_ when he suddenly could summon the same flames that Giotto did one day in that one brawl against a group of mafia brats that had cornered Federico, the youngest of Timoteo's three sons, on the streets. What made his anger reach a boiling point that time was the pompous brats jeering at him for being a b******d because, for one, he was _not_ a b*****d and two, they were disrespecting his deceased parents by saying that and Iemitsu wouldn't have any of that. (It also helped that Iemitsu just honestly hated that one kid leading the group in the guts).

He had ran off to find Timoteo after winning the brawl, leaving Federico standing in the midst of unconscious bodies, to tell his father-like figure that he was one step closer to becoming like Vongola Primo.

(For the record, Timoteo was _not_ happy at the paperwork he had caused him by beating up members of neutral famiglias, and neither will the man be happy of the trouble that Iemitsu will bring him in the future now that he could use flames.)

He was twelve at the time.

Iemitsu also started tagging along with Timoteo's guardians on their less dangerous missions around that time as well, because Timoteo wanted young Iemitsu to get first hand experience of field work as a mafioso. But it was also during one of those missions, at the age of sixteen, that he found out the truth about his parents' death.

 **Sixteen year old Iemitsu barged into Vongola Nono's office, his expression dark as he ignored a reporting Coyote's reproach.**

 **"Iemitsu?" Timoteo voiced his concern for the boy he raised and viewed as his own son.**

 **"... This," Iemitsu threw the document onto Timoteo's desk, his cheerfulness - that Timoteo was glad he had never lost even living his life as a mafioso - no more as his gaze stay fixed on the Ninth of Vongola. "Is this the truth?"**

 **Timoteo's eyes traveled to the first page of document, finding the profile of Iemitsu's deceased father. His Hyper Intuition was giving him a hum of warning, which confirmed his dread of what the document was about.**

 **He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose and he just seemed to look _older_ than he already was. "I knew it wasn't a good idea to send you on that mission."**

 **"What," Iemitsu gritted his teeth as he slammed his hands against Timoteo's death. "You didn't want me to know? You didn't want me to know that my parents' death didn't die in an accident? That they died only because they were related to Vongola?!"**

 **Young Iemitsu's eyes reddened at the end, because he'd just found out that his parents deaths weren't caused by accidents, but by his father's _bloodline_. The blood that coursed through his veins was from the very man who had founded Vongola, and the enemies of present-day Vongola thought they could threaten Vongola by seizing the direct descendants of the Founder.**

 **(Obviously, that didn't go as planned.)**

 **"Iemitsu," Timoteo gave a warning look to Coyote when the man took a step forward, intending to subdue an emotionally unstable Iemitsu. "That isn't what I meant."**

 **"Then _what._ "**

 **"Vongola's made many enemies as over time, some whose history ran deeper than blood. Vongola Primo did his best to erase his family's tracks from the mafia when he moved to Japan, but it doesn't mean his bloodline will stay hidden forever," Timoteo closed his eyes. "It was an error on my part that they discovered your family's existence, I didn't anticipate them targeting Vongola Primo's bloodline."**

 **Iemitsu was silent, but anyone could see the chaotic emotions in his eyes.**

 **"When I received the message, I tried to save your parents, but... circumstances didn't allow it."**

 **"Nono has tried his best," Coyote interrupted, not allowing any misunderstandings to arise between his boss and Iemitsu.**

 **Timoteo gave his Storm another look to silence him before continuing. "That time, I asked your father if he hated Vongola for what happened to him and its inability to save him."**

 **"Do you know what his answer was?" He leveled his eyes with Iemitsu and didn't want for the latter to respond. "He smiled and said, "No, because I am a Sawada, born and raised. A Sawada man is to protect his family, and I wouldn't be one if I let someone else do it for me."**

 **There was a moment of silence for Iemitsu to digest that in.**

 **"Your father was... a great man," Timoteo praised. "But you were only six back then, I couldn't tell you the truth when you were so _young -_ and neither did your father. His last words to me were to keep this a secret from you. He didn't want you hate Vongola, because that's where your roots are."**

 **"..." Iemitsu looked down, his hands clenched into fists. It was only after a few long minutes that he spoke, "... I want to join the CEDEF."**

 **The announcement had been so abrupt that it caught both Timoteo and Coyote off guard.**

 **"Iemitsu?"**

 **"I. Want. To. Join. The. C. E. D. E. F." Iemitsu reiterated every syllable as he looked up, eyes flared with determination.**

 **"... And may I know why?" Timoteo was getting a bad feeling about this.**

 **"I'm going to look for all of those b*****ds who killed my parents." Iemitsu declared. "Isn't CEDEF a secret intelligence organization? I can learn everything from there!"**

 **There was a momentary pause, which was broken by Coyote shortly after. "Iemitsu, you shouldn't use any organization under Vongola for your personal benefits."**

 **Iemitsu wasn't given the chance to retort Coyote when Timoteo followed solemnly with, "Iemitsu, do you know that I treat you like my son?"**

 **"... Yeah." Said teen hesitated. He wasn't an idiot, especially after so many years of training and hands on experience in the mafia. He knew what Timoteo was getting at.**

 **"Then do you know what you're saying?" The elder man spoke in that same solemn tone.**

 **"** I know. **" Iemitsu sucked in a deep breath, looking straight at Timoteo. "But I don't want it. Compared to getting revenge for my parents, being a candidate to inherit Vongola is nothing."**

 **"... Vongola Primo was never a man of revenge."**

 **"Because _he_ never had to experience that pain of losing family members because he's so damn _perfect_!"**

At the age of sixteen, Iemitsu gave up his rights to inherit Vongola and started climbing the ranks of CEDEF.

For the years to come, Iemitsu created a name for himself while tracking down members of famiglias involved in his parents' death that Vongola couldn't touch because they were protect by their famiglias, becoming the "Young Lion of Vongola".

He never tried to be like Vongola Primo anymore, because he could _never_ reach the level that Vongola Primo stood at. As he grew older, he became aware of his own limits that would not be a problem for Giotto to breakthrough if Giotto was him. In other words, his ancestor was better - and _always_ _will be_. And the fact that Giotto's achievements were so _glorious_ didn't make it any better because Giotto became an impossible obstacle for him to pass - and it became his inner demon.

The man didn't remained as his hero either, because he couldn't forgive the very blood in him that caused his parents death. (He couldn't hate Timoteo and his Vongola either, because the man had raised him like one of his own and Vongola became Iemitsu's second family.)

And he soon started treating his great-great grandfather as a _Vongola,_ while he was a _Sawada_. (A tiny part of him wanted to deny the blood relationship between them so, _so_ much.)

So Iemitsu couldn't help the preferential treatment he gave Ienari. Because whenever Iemitsu looked at Tsunayoshi, he felt as though he was meeting his ancestor.

Ienari looked so much like him and _acted_ so much like him, while Tsunayoshi was, well.. he was _weak_. Born with a weak constitution and defenseless against even a _cold._ (A tiny, _tiny_ part of Iemitsu felt a sense of superiority. Just thinking of the possibility that Giotto might have suffered from the same situation when he was young was oddly... gratifying.)

(If he were to be completely truthful, if Tsuna hadn't inherited Nana's eyes, Iemitsu would have completely ignored the child.)

When Tsunayoshi had accidentally called on his flames ( _Sky flames_ ) for the first time during one of his rare trips home and with Timoteo, Iemitsu's inner demons had almost broke out - _why why why is he always **better**?! _ \- and jealousy nearly clouded his mind when Timoteo had praised Tsunayoshi because of his 'unlimited potential'.

( _His Ienari isn't any lesser than Giotto's carbon copy. His Ienari could totally be better than his older brother, right? r_ **i** G _H **t**_ _? !_ He was succumbing to his inner demons and he knew it wasn't right, but he couldn't _help it_. He bet Giotto would be able to overcome his demons - _he's so **perfect** he could overcome anything!)_

He didn't hesitated when Timoteo suggested to seal up Tsunayoshi's flames, because, using his adopted father's reasoning, Tsunayoshi was too young for wield flames and it would only bring him more harm than good.

(Both of them never did realize what damaged they had caused poor little Tsunayoshi for the sealing of his _soul_.)

And the attempt at the twins' lives through a kidnapping that one time? That was aimed as a threat at Iemitsu, and by the time he and his men got there, they saw a warehouse burnt warehouse with remnants of what should be brilliant orange flames. _Sky flames._

When he entered the nearly destroyed building, he found Ienari was huddled in a corner, shivering and emotionally unstable, and the lifeless body of one Tsunayoshi breathing ever-so _shallowly_ in that pool of cold blood that it was almost _nonexistent._

They were both protected within a thin veil of familiar orange and Iemitsu knew, it was _Tsunayoshi_ who protected both of them _at the risk of his life_.

He had a mix of emotions raging through him at that time. Disappointed at Ienari, thankful to Tsunayoshi, relief that both of them were alive, anger for the one who had done all of this, and more. (What he felt the most, though, was his inner demon sneering in satisfaction because - _just look at that Giotto, your carbon copy risked his life to save_ my _son._ )

He put Tsunayoshi in the hospital and took Ienari back with him to Italy, intending to prevent such events from happening again and personally train the child so that he could be as perfect as Iemitsu pictured. (Yes, he was obsessed. Has been and will not stop being obsessed - somebody, please please _plEA_ **SE SAVE HIM SAVEHIMSAVEHIM** s _A_ **V _e_** _h_ **I** _M...!_ )

Later, when Vongola Nono turned to him for the issue of an heir to Vongola due to the deaths of all three of his sons (Iemitsu had been devastated, to be honest, because those three had been like _brothers_ to him), Iemitsu had unhesitatingly recommended Ienari.

 _If Vongola Giotto could lead Vongola, then his Ienari could too,_ was the thought that Iemitsu's inner demon gave Iemitsu as his reason before he quickly shook it away because it wasn't _right._

To be honest, Iemitsu hadn't expected Tsunayoshi to still be alive (a part of him told him that it was _wrong_ to think that way), much less halfway across the globe in the land of Italy, his - _their_ homeland.

Sunset-orange eyes, ones that were _exactly the same_ as the ones in the portrait of Vongola Primo, stared directly into his. There was no storm in them that Iemitsu could find, only a deep calm that was _beyond_ the boy's age and so deep that Iemitsu felt he was going to fall into them if he were to continue looking. But he felt an odd calm washing over him that he _didn't want to break eye contact_.

(And he idly wondered, why they were orange? Shouldn't they be brown, like his sweet Nana's?)

"I'm not messing around," Tsuna broke Iemitsu from his trance with everyone in the rooms staring at the two.

"W-what?" The blonde blinked. What did he say again? Wasn't he still trying to wrap around the fact that Tsunayoshi was _here_ to say anything during the interrogation they had with the brunet?

Tsuna let out an inaudible sigh, shifting his balance. "I know what this is and what I'm getting, so I'm not just not 'messing around' as you so adamantly accused just now - and rather loudly at that."

"To be exact," Reborn, being who he was, gleefully corrected. "He said, "This isn't a game, Tunafish, don't messing around!""

Tsuna twitched. "Your help is _not_ appreciated, Reborn."

"You're welcome," The infant snickered, not the least bit affected by the brunet's grated words. " _Tunafish_."

"... Shut up." Tsuna deadpanned before returning his attention to Iemitsu. "Where were we before we got off topic - no, Reborn, I don't want _you_ to answer that!"

The hitman clicked his tongue, disappointed, and closed his mouth, strangely obliging to Tsuna's demand - much to everyone's surprise.

"Anyways," Tsuna stared hard at his blood-related father. "Unless you actually _prefer_ that I treat the entire mafia as a game -"

"Mafia is _not_ a game!" Coyote butted in, sounding quite offended at even the prospect of someone treating a society where you're out drinking with your friend and dying in the next moment's notice, a game.

Tsuna idly wondered if he could go on without any interruptions. "Of course not, Nougat-san. It never was and never will be."

"Tunafish -"

"Call me by my name," Tsuna interjected Iemitsu, looking nearly exasperated. " _Please_."

"... Tsunayoshi," The brunet wanted to correct him again, but thought better and just let it be. "You're in no condition to be here."

"Meaning?" Tsuna raised a brow, asking the obvious when he already knew the answer.

"Son, you're physically weak," Iemitsu chose his words carefully, trying to be like a father who tried to reveal a devastating truth to his child. "The doctor said so. You're born with a weak constitution - undeveloped even. Don't you remembered what happened the last time you caught a cold? You we bed-ridden for a week!"

"... That was something before I was five," Tsuna deadpanned. "Do you expect me to remember something like that?"

"Of course! You're just like -" Iemitsu bit his tongue before he could finish that sentence. He stole a glance around the room, knowing that he shouldn't reveal his inner thoughts - his inner demon - with an audience.

Tsuna furrowed his brows, not really understanding what Iemitsu was trying to get at. He looked at how uncomfortable the blonde seemed to be with standing there, trying to figure out what was going on in Iemitsu mind (because, unlike Ienari and the Varia, Iemitsu was better at keeping his heart from being worn on his sleeve).

"You want me to go back to where I belong," Tsuna started carefully, gauging the man's reactions. His Intuition was telling him that something was off about Iemitsu, and his Hyper Intuition had always been Mr. Right. "To the hospital?"

"I..." Iemitsu took a step back. It didn't felt good to have his thought revealed by his own son, not at all. ( _Shut him up_ , that demon in his head coaxed.)

"Then I'm afraid that's impossible," Tsuna lowered his eyes to hide his disappointment, turning away from his father. "I have a friend to look after, a family to protect."

 ** _"Vongola Primo was known for having a strong sense of justice and an undying will to protect his friends and family."_**

( _Shut him up_ , that voice pursued again.)

"I have always known that you preferred Ienari over me ever since we were little," Tsuna continued, unaware of what was happening in Iemitsu's mind, but his Intuition was humming a warning of something that will happen. "And even though you weren't there for most of my life like Kaa-san did, I don't blame you for _any_ of it. You are my biological father first and foremost, and that is enough of a reason for me to not hold it against you."

 ** _"Vongola Primo was a forgiving person who never holds any grudges."_**

( _Shut him up!_ The voice was becoming more and more aggressive.)

"But that doesn't mean I don't have principles of my own to follow. I'm not your subordinate, I'm your son with his own ideals and the resolve to follow it -"

( _s_ **H** _u_ ** _T_ h ** i _m_ _U_ **P** _!_ )

\- Tsuna intercepted the chop that had attempted at his neck, and he followed the motion of a shoulder toss to flip Iemitsu to the floor with a dull - _**thump**!_

"I'm starting to understand now," Tsuna gazed dully at the man on the ground. "Why Ienari had been like that when I first saw him after waking up."

The moment he came into contact with the blonde man, he felt he discordant flames that Iemitsu had tried so hard in hiding - _suppressing_ \- it. (A discordant Sky training another Sky usually would result in anything but good.)

A frown marred Tsuna's face. He wondered what was the cause that led Iemitsu to become like this. From the looks of it though, it had been going on for _years_.

Then he saw that look in Iemitsu's eyes and in spite of himself, it hurts.

"... What did I do," Tsuna stared down at the man with a complicated gaze, his hands clenched into fists at the signs of hostility in the other's eyes. "Really, what did I do for you to make an enemy out of me?"

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **[1] Found in chapter 34**

 **Mami's alive! And I _finally_ got to write her in! I also tried to match up the ages as best as I could if Mami _were_ to be alive in the current cannon KHR timeline plus two years. **

**We our starting that... complicated father-son relationship between Tsuna and Iemitsu! And because I just _have_ to find a reason for Iemitsu's preferential treatment (like I have to find reasons for everything else), you guys get a look at the man's past... and his apparent grudge with Giotto... Yeah... I - err... I don't know. I was thinking of something _simpler_ so I can get on with it, but Giotto somehow took the role of the perfect elder sibling that every younger sibling hates for Iemitsu... but this was okay too, right? Right. (I'm sorry if his thoughts became a bit... twisted at the end. And probably a bit strange for him to compare himself to a person who was dead for about a century and a half, but - uh, if I have to say, he dug a hole for himself to fall into in the first place. Trying to be like Giotto and all that.)**

 **And I finished this chapter before my birthday! (The 27th guys, the _Tsuna-th_ \- /shot. Yeah, that was horrible, I know. And funniest thing, my brother's b-day is also on the 27th, just not the same month - he's winter, I'm summer, we're the exact opposite. Just like our gender! \\(￣▽￣)/ I... don't know where I'm going with this.)**

 **Also, I'm going to go to Anime Expo next week so, might not get as much written down next week.**

 **Lastly, happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	40. Inverted Flames

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

After the initial shock of Iemitsu suddenly ambushing Tsuna and Tsuna _shoulder-tossing_ Iemitsu, everyone was rather unsettled by Tsuna's words.

The older ones (the adults) took up stances in case something happens, because if they interpreted Tsuna's words correctly, then they didn't like what was going to happen next. (And for the record, they did _not_ expect Iemitsu to be a discordant Sky and neither did they have such thoughts either, him being a ditz and all.)

There was a taut silence that put everyone on the edge and holding their breths. However, it was broken, first, by Iemitsu himself.

By laughing.

"... What did you do?" Iemitsu started after he stopped his near cackle, a hand covered over his eyes as he leaned back against the arm that he had propped up against the floor. "To be honest, nothing. Absolutely _nothing._ "

Tsuna frowned, as did every other adult while the Tenth generations were somewhat baffled, though they were prepared to act by how they were starting to moving their feet into place.

It wasn't the first time Tsuna encountered a family member who hated him (I mean, Xanxus, his foster uncle, had gave him the murderous look of his nearly every time they met until the man _finally_ had acknowledged him - openly.) But it was the first time to see _Iemitsu_ of all people directing that look of hatred towards him, because he knew his father cared for his family even though he didn't looked or acted the part.

Tsuna had experienced Ienari's discord, it was filled with frustration, pressure, and a sense of loneliness, resulting in a sickly brown.

It wasn't like Iemitsu's. Iemitsu's was twisted red (unlike Xanxus's inherent wild red), filled with warped jealous, anger, and hatred eating away at his mind - and he didn't know _where_ all of that was coming from.

It perplexed Tsuna. He didn't understand. He really doesn't. What did Tsunayoshi do that caused Iemitsu to carry such loathing for him?

His Intuition gave another hum of alarm and Tsuna narrowly shifted away from a high kick launched from the ground.

"Iemitsu!" Coyote exclaimed, alarmed, as he moved to subdue the man. He failed though, when Iemitsu dodged and continued making assaults towards his own son.

Tsuna had faltered for just the slightest second, because he had saw the borderline hysteria that was in Iemitsu's eyes the moment of his kick, but it was enough for Iemitsu to land a kick in Tsuna's guts.

Tsuna hissed in pain, borrowing that falling momentum to roll over the table and landing on the other side to gain distance. It didn't make a difference though, when Iemitsu jumped over it and tried to assault the brunet with another kick.

"What the f***," Xanxus growled when he stopped Iemitsu, to which Schitten and DIno saw as a good opportunity to join in to help subdue the CEDEF head. His free hand went for his guns, in case that was needed. "He's your _son_ -"

"My son?" That seemed to make something snap in Iemitsu, as he made a violent attempt by exerting his flames to break free of the lock he was it. "I bet none of you - _none_ of you believe that."

The others didn't want to _really_ harm the man, so as a result, Iemitsu got out of the lock pretty easily. "What with who he actually resembles more and all."

"Hell," Tsuna moved cautiously around Iemitsu as the other talked, keeping a measured distance. " _I_ can't even convince myself that he's _my_ son."

" **He** ," Iemitsu glowered at the brunet, hissing vehemently. " **Is _not_ my son.** "

Tsuna flinched, rooted to the spot right there and then - and everyone was blindsided by Iemitsu.

"... You can't deny the fact that I was born in the same place on the same day and have the same mother as Ienari," Tsuna calmly retorted, staring straight at the man. "Nor can you deny the fact that your blood runs in mind."

"I can attest to those," Dino felt a need to be testifier for Tsuna's claim. "I saw the papers _and_ I had them authenticated just to be sure."

Tsuna send the Don a genial smile before he continued, "If I'm not your son, then whose son am I?"

"You're obviously -" Iemitsu bit back from finishing that sentence, hands clenching as a conflict clashed in his eyes. Instead, he continued his assaults to express his frustrations and managed to hit the brunet to the ground.

"Not my son, _not my son_. You're not like me at all."

"..." Tsuna breathed out deeply after hearing that quiet ramble under Iemitsu's breath, and he pushed himself up. His bangs hid his eyes and he remained quiet as he resume dodging another of Iemitsu's incoming assaults. "I think... I know what's been eating at your mind."

"Do you?" Iemitsu sneered, stopping for just a second to switch strategies when flames started to wrap around his fists, and another one on his forehead as a result on entering Hyper Dying Will mode. "Of course you do, you're exactly like _him_." It was definitely some kind of inferiority complex, a complicated one by the looks of things.

"Iemitsu," Reborn grounded, narrowing his eyes at the unreasonable man. Leon had already morphed into a gun, and Reborn would've used it too if Tsuna hadn't stopped him with a sharp look.

"None of you," Tsuna practically _ordered_ as he started defending instead of dodging. "Will get involved in this."

From what Tsuna was gathering from Iemitsu's odd speech, Tsuna could safely assume that he was the source of the problem. Just from that alone, he knew he will have to deal with Iemitsu personally.

(He idly felt a sense of de javu. Iemitsu and Ienari were really like father like son - and Tsuna wasn't sure if he should feel any sense of accomplishment to have to deal with the father-son duo's problems.)

Lightning green sparks strengthened Tsuna's arm when he used it to block Iemitsu's flame punch. He was pushed back a few steps, but he quickly resuming moving, kicking off of his feet as he coated the air with Rain flames that fell like rain on Iemitsu.

It didn't have much effect, as Iemitsu's flames burned - _rejected_ \- the help that was the combination of tranquility of from Rain flames with injected Harmony from Sky.

The man was more difficult than Ienari, Tsuna silently conclude after that short exchange, what with him rejecting an external flame's help and all. Did he really have to do this the old fashion way then?

"You..." Coyote, meanwhile, was stunned at the display Tsuna was showing. "... did _not_ tell me that he has more than two flames when you gave us the brief, Reborn."

The infant hitman smirked. "You never asked."

Coyote refrained from sputtering a protest. " _Reborn!_ "

"He just made an illusion of himself," Schitten provided commentary. "That's _Mist_ \- and dammit, why didn't we ever notice him before?!"

"Even if we had," Xanxus growled, feeling ticked off for not being able to do anything. "You think Iemitsu would agree to it?"

Everyone looked towards the aforementioned blonde man, whose expression seemed to only become more and more twisted by the second.

(The answer was, as it was glaringly in front of them, no.)

"Of _course_ you would have multiples flames," Iemitsu muttered. "You're just like _him_ after all. He's so mother-f**king _perfect_ that his descendant must be as well."

"Him. Giotto." Tsuna confirmed, ducking and turned, then stopped in front of a window. "You... you hate me because you have something against... _Vongola Primo_?" That last bit was spoken with disbelief, because he found that reasoning rather... well, ridiculous. Then again, he wasn't Iemitsu. (Why would anyone hold a grudge against a man buried six-feet under and have no chance to even _meet_ because there was a near two century gape between them?)

"Of course not," Iemitsu barked back sarcastically. "He's my _ancestor_ after all. He fought to protect his family, and was a perfectly good Samaritan who held no grudges whatsoever. He's so effin' _perfect_ that _I_ could never match up!"

Tsuna's eye twitched. (And he would _really_ like to take back his previous reactions to Iemitsu's spiteful words.)

He exhaled, forcing his irritation down because he did _not_ want to waste time on -

"I'm his descendant too," Iemitsu shouted, charging towards Tsuna. "Why can't _I_ be like him?!"

\- Tsuna was done. Tsuna was _so_ done.

He _cannot_ believe he was dealing with a... an adult with an inane and even more delirious inferiority complex against the very deceased ancestor they're _all_ related to for god-frickin'-sake.

Sharp, _glowing_ orange eyes stared hard at his incoming father, his hands pushed open the window behind him as Tsuna leaned back, arching over the sill. He followed that motion, raising his foot and sending Iemitsu out of the window, into a wider field for battle (Tsuna did _not_ want to fight in the mansion not because of tight space, but because he have had enough of the mansion receiving damage for _two_ live times).

He then jumped out of the window himself with a fire shimmering into life on his forehead, a telltale sign of Tsuna entering Hyper Dying Will mode.

(If the brunet had looked back, he would've noticed the reactions that the Vongola rings had given because of the manifestation of his Sky flames.)

"Let me tell you the one mistake you should've never made in the first place," Tsuna's voice dropped a few octaves as he landed a distance away from Iemitsu, his sunset-orange eyes glowing the same brilliant orange flames that wrapped his gloved hands . "Never, and I mean _never_ , compare yourself to anyone other than yourself."

Tsuna sped, appearing right in front of Iemitsu in _seconds._ And while the latter managed to block the incoming assult, he was pushed back a few feet.

"Because," Tsuna landed lightly on his toes, waiting for Iemitsu to regain his grounds. "They have their limits, you have yours."

Tsuna disappeared again, and while Iemitsu looked around for any sign of him, he didn't look up.

"You're not supposed to break their limits," Tsuna's voice was what brought Iemitsu's attention to the sky. Tsuna swooped down let a bullet, foot firmly first. "You're suppose to break _yours_."

Iemitsu met the foot assault with his punch only to feel the ground under his own feet sink as hairline cracks webbed out of a shallow crater with him at the epicenter. Tsuna, in that moment, turned and fell from his vertical stance and rapidly expelled his flames, performing a Hyper X-Stream the very moment before he reached the ground, sending Iemitsu completely off of his feet.

"So," Tsuna tilted his head as he stopped in his track and watch as his attack fade with Iemitsu falling, "Your limit, have you broke them, or did the obstacles became too much?"

"How..." Iemitsu seethed vehemently in lieu of answering Tsuna's question, he pushed himself up as the flame on his forehead churned in rage. "How could you do this... when all you've been doing is lie on a hospital bed for so many years?!"

Tsuna paused at his question, but that was enough of a breather for Iemitsu to began his counter as he grabbed a chunk of earth with his enhanced strength. He chucked it all the while saying something in his fury -

"YOU NOT HIM ARE YOU?!"

\- and it hit the bullseye blindly. Unfortunately, emotionless sunset-orange eyes were the only response to the man's claim.

"HE CAN _NEVER EVEN_ TAKE A SINGLE STEP OUT OF THAT DAMN HOSPITAL!"

Tsuna stared coolly at the incoming piece of earth hurling towards him with great speed, only drawing his flamed-enhanced fist back and punching the object right before it smashed into Tsuna.

Orange flames seeped into the hairline cracks, increasing in intensity as they sliced the piece of earth until it shattered and rained in thousands of pieces.

With his Intuition keeping him on his toes, Tsuna wasn't surprised when he was met with a shooting Iemitsu from behind the chunk of earth the moment it disappeared from Tsuna's view.

He acted quickly, and nimbly to block the punch, but he couldn't stop himself from behind pushing back a few feet and making a shallow trough on the ground.

"Never?" Tsuna all but spat. They stayed locked in the stances of attack and defense while Tsuna ignored the stiffing feeling beginning to stir in his chest in favor of the rising annoyance. "You mean _you_ never expected him to leave that place."

"And don't give me that f***ing crap about how I'm not him," His flames licked his hands, the way they intensify and dance expressed Tsuna's accumulating anger. "Not when you publicly admitted to only having _one_ son, Iemitsu. You have _no rights whatsoever_ to say that when you f***ing left me in that hospital to die!"

In the next second, he kneed the man in the guts hard enough to send the latter flying. Following, Tsuna launched himself quickly in the air from the propulsion of the flames coating his hands, chasing up to Iemitsu and going behind the knock him back down.

The other acted quickly though, turning around and countering elbow with flame-enhanced fist. Recoiling, Iemitsu was forced against a nearby tree but instead of actually colliding with the solid earth. He recovered within seconds, using the branch to spring himself back quickly into the air and towards Tsuna while the latter just found his balance back in the air.

However, with his Intuition alerting him, Tsuna was able to guard by bringing his arms up against another of Iemitsu's flame-coated punch. The brunet used that momentum to bring him back onto the ground under Iemitsu and launched a Hyper X-Stream his way that had Iemitsu sprawling far in the distance.

"You ignored me only because I resemble our _ancestor._ Iemitsu, your ridiculous farce is even worse than Ienari's," Tsuna started moving again, launching himself at Iemitsu -

"And he's a just _child_ , Iemitsu!"

\- and landed a right hook deftly and squarely in the solar plexus, leaving the man winded.

Iemitsu's body followed the blow's momentum, which was brought around in the perpendicular direction when Tsuna delivered a roundhouse kick. After that, Iemitsu regain his senses and Tsuna was pulled into a close combat exchange of punches and kicks that was going _nowhere_ fast.

Right, left, duck, kick, block, jab -

"You have no sh***y rights to say that to me and _my_ son!" Iemitsu's fury sky-rocketed to a new level. "You don't know any of us!"

\- Tsuna knitted his brows after receiving a forceful punch, because he was well aware that his body could not match up with Iemitsu's flame-enhanced strength. Sooner or later, he was going to crumble.

With a decisive glint flickering across his eyes, locked onto Iemitsu's arm and shoulder-tossed him harshly to the ground again. " _You_ don't know me or Primo either." Tsuna hissed, eyes glittering dangerously. He began to move away to a calculated distance. "You want to compare yourself with Primo? Fine. _Fine._ "

Tsuna dragged his feet against the ground, getting into a well-practiced stance as he called upon his companion. " **Natsu**."

"Gao!" Came a chirp and in the next second, a ball of flames jumped onto Tsuna's shoulder before it took the form of a helmet-wearing lion cub. It nuzzled Tsuna's cheek and purred an indignant complaint because he wasn't let out any earlier.

Tsuna gave his animal partner an apologetic smile "Cambio Forma: Modo Attaco, if you please Natsu." (He could've gone with his Vongola Gear version, but... unfortunately, he has no access to that at the moment - don't mention his Ring of the Sky Version X that Byakuran returned to him either, that version is sealed; hence why he wasn't wearing his Vongola Gear version gloves, but the original ones with a numeral X over the back - like a seal.)

"Gao!" The Sky lion's response was to scale down onto Tsuna's stretched arm, giving a quick growl to Iemitsu before he switched forms again, merging with Tsuna's glove and redesigning its appearance.

"What..." Iemitsu was baffled, at first, by Tsuna's earlier words, which was then followed by how a _lion cub_ had just appeared in a ball of Sky flames, and then _disappeared_ as it fused into the weapon suitable for Tsuna - which were gloves, oddly enough, and Iemitsu had idly thought _'how fitting'_ before Tsuna spoke again.

" _Mitena di Vongola Primo_ ," Tsuna introduced, raising his gauntlet that bears the Roman Numeral I insignia on the back. "You should know that it was the name of the weapon that Vongola Primo wields, a pair of gauntlets per se."

Iemitsu's eyes widened, along with everyone else who heard Tsuna's voice (and, obviously, they did since they moved out of the mansion to get a better view of the battle.)

Tsuna didn't bothered to care though. He had no intention of concealing after Enma made that decision, because if he was going to go drag his friend and his family back, he was going to show that he was capable of it.

"If you can stand your ground from this gauntlet, then I'll congratulate you on achieving your goal of standing on Primo's level." Tsuna leaned forward slightly in preparation of a dash. "So, ready?"

Without giving Iemitsu a chance to respond, Tsuna launched himself like a bullet.

Iemitsu felt a sudden wave of fear hinging in his heart at the immensity of flames manifesting and concentrating at that one single point in Tsuna's version of Primo's gauntlet.

For a second, he saw the shadow of Primo behind Tsuna as well as a huge, ferocious lion charging at him with its jaws wide open and ready to snap. He was known as the "Young Lion of Vongola", but as the name implied, he was _young._ He was _nothing_ compared to the real King of Beasts that was glaring in right front of him.

As he stood petrified, all he felt was - _fearfearfear -_ **helpless**. He knew it was impossible, but thinking about it and experiencing it first hand were two completely different things. It was a power that wasn't him, that wasn't _his_ and ( _No, no,_ That demon roared in anger. _Don't submit...!_ ) a resolve that far surpassed his.

 ** _BOOM!_**

.

.

.

Tsuna stopped abruptly when his fist grazed just past Iemitsu's cheek. The impact at the air behind the man created a sonic boom that upturned earth and nearly uprooted the plants in its wake.

Silence reigned for several long seconds with Iemitsu standing frozen in a state of stillness, drenched in cold sweat, while Tsuna slowly retrieved his arm from next to Iemitsu's head, standing languidly with glowing orange eyes glinting in a strange light.

"Your reaction just now," He said evenly despite taking deep breathes. "Gave you the answer, didn't it?"

"... I..." Iemitsu was still half stunned. "Why...?"

"Why didn't I land the hit on you instead when you deserved it?" Tsuna narrowed his eyes at the blonde, who nodded numbly in return. "Because, I still have one more thing to say and one more thing to do."

Tsuna exited out of his Hyper Dying Will mode, coughing slightly. "Because, for the record, you don't know Vongola Primo as well as you think."

"You see," Tsuna didn't give Iemitsu time to retort as he took off his gloves and massaged his wrist with his other hand. "He _does_ hold grudges... and so do I."

"What -"

 ** _SMACK!_**

\- The resounding smack in the face from a punch imperiously denied Iemitsu's right of speech, forcing him off of his feet and falling to the ground.

"Christ, I've been _wanting_ to do that!" Tsuna would've cheered if he hadn't felt another cough coming up, but he was feeling better already from that punch (there was no skill to it, no thought put into it, just brute force in its purest). "Also, no one's god-frickin'-perfect."

"That's two things," Reborn chose the most inopportune time to butt in and end whatever mood from before, like he always does. "You said two things, Tsuna."

"... Reborn, would it kill you to _not_ burst someone's bubble for once?"

"Truthfully? Yes."

"..."

"Now," Reborn's eyes glinted dangerously as he loaded bullets to a not-Leon gun, intending to use it at Iemitsu. "It's my turn."

"..."

* * *

Vincent watched as his boss stood at the rooftop that they landed the helicopter on, staring at the setting sun across the city after coming out of a meeting with those so-called famiglias in the alliance.

To be honest, if they didn't needed those people to cause trouble for Vongola and to cover Tartaruga's tracks, then Vincent wouldn't even acknowledge the existence of that alliance. It was filled with mafiosi who possesses an ego that was too big for their avaricious heads.

Today's meeting was proof that the lot of them don't use the soft matters in their skulls - though Vincent was inclined to believe that theirs skulls were empty of anything that could relatively be identified as a brain cell.

The Vongola may not be what it was, but it wasn't completely defenseless. Varia was a good example and so were Vongola Nono's guardians - and he wasn't prone to forget the deep ties the Sun Arcobaleno has with Vongola either. However, those existences, apparently, went completely over their heads in favor of devising, and he quote, ' _shock tactics'_ against Vongola during the the Decimo's _goddamned coronation_.

The very word 'coronation' spoke _volumes_ of how much of a failure that ambush will be. It was, after all, the passing of the current Don to the next, which was a significant event in a famiglia's history. Securities would, therefore, heighten and be constant alert. And don't forget of the important people who will be guests at the ceremony and they would no doubt bring their _own_ entourages.

Their level of idiocy left Vincent speechless, but since Itzal didn't even make a peep during the meeting, Vincent left them to their own demises. (He was going to leave them to their demises anyway with how they disrespected his boss - _how dare they -_ )

"Vincent," Itzal's voice broke the aforementioned man from his musing. "The Gessos and Giglio Neros will be attending Vongola Decimo's coronation?"

"Yes," Vincent confirmed dutifully. "The decisions were officially announced concurrently two weeks back, but according to our sources, it was privately settled at an earlier date."

There was a pause where Vincent deliberated in Itzal's abrupt question. However, he didn't get the chance to finish making heads and tails of the question about the two Family when his cellphone rang.

He stole a glance at his boss and when he deemed that Itzal wasn't going to speak again, he answered the phone. "Jin, what's the report?"

"I have the Simon heir reunited with his Family."

"So I've heard," Vincent replied brusquely. "I like to think you've called to tell me what I've already been informed."

"Of course not," Jin's voice was stoic, but Vincent could detect the hesitance hidden underneath. "I just... found the boy to be a bit different from last time."

Vincent silently waited for the man to continue, he wouldn't waste words when the signal was patent. (Mind you, Vincent would rather talk to Jin any day than anyone else from their group Elements serving the Sky only because Jin was efficient and to the point.)

"His aura changed completely," Jin continued after the short silence he used to compose his findings. "Though perhaps it could be attributed to his significant increase in strength along with the control of his flames - and I know we can't predict _what_ the boy may have encountered in the period of his disappearance, but..."

There was a sigh of rare frustration, "It's like he's a different person."

Vincent narrowed his eyes at the comparison, running the possibilities through his head. He did not, however, stray his attention from Jin's call.

"There was also this other boy..." Jin mumbled more to himself than to Vincent. "Now that I think about it, who seemed to be associated with Enma Kozato. I can't help but feel something... _odd_ from him."

Jin paused briefly before adding, "Assuming he is also associated with Vongola, then it would explain -"

"Stop," Vincent all but command, placing a hand into his pocket. "You said the boy gave you an odd feeling?"

"... Yes," Jin hesitated but still shared his thoughts. "Although my attention were mostly focused on Enma Kozato, I still managed to get that off feeling, as if... as if something wasn't _right_ about that situation."

It took several long seconds before Vincent could give a reply. "I'll report it to the Boss, but don't brush that feeling off Jin."

"Vincent...?"

"Because," Said man pulled out the ring he kept inside his pocket, staring as the light of the sunset reflected off of the red gem. "You might just have caught onto something."

Vincent ended the call before the other could get another word in. He turned around, only to have Itzal staring at him with apathetic aquamarine eyes.

"Boss," Vincent called, his facial expression showing not a hint that he was caught off guard. And with how unpredictable Itzal was, he was already numbed of surprises. "We have a situation."

Itzal's silence was enough of a gesture for Vincent to continue. "Jin reported that there might have been a irregularity that happened to both Vongola and Enma Kozato in the form of a boy."

"Is that so..."The Tartaruga Don narrowed his eyes with a strange glint flickering across. He ran a hand through his well-groomed hair, effectively brushing aside the stray strands that were blown in his eyes by the rooftop breeze, and sedately made his way to the awaiting helicopter. "Let's go meet the little one, shall we?"

* * *

The moment Enma entered the second level of the underground captivity they were in, the first thing he did was to destroy any cameras within his sight with gravity, like he did on the previous level.

However, he faltered in his tracks right after the task in favor of staring at what was before him.

To be completely honest with himself, Enma wasn't exactly expecting Kawahira to be drinking tea with _Bermuda_ of all people - and the fact that the scene was so _harmonious_ ranked it as one of the strangest things Enma has seen (and that was saying something.) But he had witness too much strangeness in both lives to take it all in the strides of a boss.

Enma did take note of the fact that both were confined in one way or another - which was another surreal aspect. Bermuda's Clear pacifier was bounded by chains, which was odd in the sense that Enma has seen the Vindice used chains with a deftness that was to be considered lethal, but never of them being bound by what should be an extension of their limps.

Kawahira, meanwhile, have thick, choker-like object (because they obviously weren't just for looks) around his neck and - and Enma was unable to prevent the image of dog collars from entertaining his mind briefly before he mentally kicked it out because that was so wrong and he was _so_ dead if Kawahira ever finds out.

"... Kawahira," Enma's mouth, however, still twitched as he observed the sturdy room they were confined in and idly wondered what it was made of to prevent the head of Vindice and Trinisette Administrator from leaving. "Bermuda."

"Mm?" The Administrator looked up, his eyes brightened when he saw the familiar redhead. "Enma!"

"One of the kids you mentioned?" Bermuda asked, and albeit his face was all wrapped in bandages, Enma had the feeling that Bermuda was gauging him.

Kawahira smiled mysteriously. "Quite the lad if I must say so myself, though Tsunayoshi's the one who attracts all of the troubles - which reminds, how is the boy?"

"... Will probably wring my neck when he sees me," Enma answered cavalierly as he walked up to the glass pane that was the long rectangular window that separated the space that Kawahira and Bermuda is in and the outside. (To be honest, Enma was inclined to think of those cleanrooms in hospitals that kept the patients with the more transmittable diseases.) "But that is besides the point. Kawahira, you can't get out of this place? Is that why you didn't appear in front of us before?"

"Unfortunately," Kawahira shrugged with a helpless smile and a gesture with his hand, only then did Enma noticed the cuff bracelet-like accessories that were probably made from the same material as the choker encased all around the ancient man's wrists. "Although I am quite confident in breaking out, but the effort they'd went through to detained me this time... I will need to exhaust a significant amount of my powers in doing so, leaving me nearly depleted and without a way to defend for myself."

Enma frowned, staring at the glass pane curiously, wondering if the room has something to do with it. Unfortunately, he didn't find anything special about glass even when he rapped his knuckles against it. (Well, if it amounts to anything, he did found that the sound it makes has a rather dull to the ear - and it was rather thick, judging from that facet.)

So, maybe it was just the confines on their person? But what are they made of?

Kawahira caught the bemused glance that Enma cast his way and explained, "A material created to affect beings such as myself ever since the last time I went out to get ramen."

"..." Enma couldn't refused to make a comment on that, but why did Kawahira bothered to come back the last time he went out in the first place? "You and Bermuda are friends here since you're both having tea together...?"

"Oh no," Kawahira chuckled. "He still very much wants to kill me."

There was just something wrong with how Kawahira said that with a bright smile on his face.

"The only reason I am even tolerating in the same _air_ as him is that we have a common enemy that needs to be rid off." Bermuda answered, miffed. He was also a little put-off at how Enma talked so familiarly about him despite the fact Kawahira had briefed him the reason for it. (He has never met the child personally, and it just felt _strange_ to have his name roll off of Enma's tongue so naturally like that.) He was the head of Vindice and although the Vindice have not made any attempts to connect with human society other than the warden-prisoner relationship they have with the mafia, he was absolutely _positive_ no one would have the gall to even _speak_ of the Vindice's name without fear or trepidation of any kind.

"Before the entire world tips off balance due to the _lack_ of the Laws and they succeed in their attempt in changing parallel fates," Kawahira added with a notable frown. "That would only spell something... unthinkable."

Enma stared at the not-human. "You... did _not_ just say that."

"Meant every word," Kawahira pushed his round specs as his eyes opened into slits to express his solemnity. "They're playing with the Laws."

"Wait," Enma frowned. "Changing fate? Playing with the Laws? How are they going to do that -" Enma paused as he recalled memories way back. He stumbled back, face in paling as everything just _click_. "No way. _No way_."

"En-nii?" Mami worried what was happening to her brother. She and the rest of Enma's guardians exchanged worried looks. They all felt a little loss and it was mostly because they weren't sure of the things that was happening to Enma. The teen was different, that one was obvious, but it was to the point that he seemed to belong to a different world - a bizarre way the describe how they felt, but they didn't know how else to express it. (They still wondered where and when did Enma learned how to pick a lock so proficiently.)

He held himself and talk with a confidence that the old Enma doesn't have, his gait was sedate and has a certain lethal grace, they noticed in the short trip down to the second level, his eyes held wisdom and something deeper that they couldn't understanding. And although he has charisma before, it seemed different now. It was no longer the charisma of an honest friend, but of a _trustworthy leader_.

They have known Enma all through their lives, and it was the first time Enma felt so foreign to them. Something has changed, something was different, but they felt _safe with a promise of home_ \- something that the old Enma couldn't make them feel. (They wouldn't have been moving fro place to place otherwise)

Enma, however, wasn't aware of his family's inner turmoil, he was lost in a world of his own.

"Fate. Laws. Trinisette. _Vongola_. Tartaruga is trying to destroy Vongola, they're trying to eliminate _Tsuna and his guardians._ " Enma looked Kawahira directly in the eye, a stunned kind of horror dawning on his face. "Not just in this world, but _in all parallel worlds._ "

"A rather... _intricate_ goal if I must say, targeting only the Vongola," Kawahira remarked with a shake of his head, then murmured, "But nevertheless, wiping out one third of the Trinisette is the same as trying to destroy the balance of the universe."

"Intricate?" Chaotic emotions ran deep in Enma's eyes when he understood Kawahira immeidately. "They would try to go after Tsuna and his guardians even if they're not a part of Trinisette?"

"... Yes," Kawahira answered, sighing. It was rather absurd for them to solely target Vongola when they have the power to upturn existence of Laws itself, but then again, there hasn't been a single world where Tsuna and his friends are not a part of the Trinisette. It was something that worried Kawahira, both of itself and of the instability it will bring if Vongola were to vanish from the face of all worlds in the parallel planes. "You can say that they're rather obstinate against Vongola."

" _Obstinate_?" Enma came back up to the window and slammed his fist against it, hard - though the force was not strong enough to break the anything (if it had, then Bermuda and Kawahira wouldn't have remained idle for so long). His voice have been calm, but that didn't stop it from wavering in anger.

The Tartaruga was trying to meddle with the Laws by eliminating Vongola's core, leaving it to cease to exist in _every possible world._ The very fate of Vongola intertwines with many - the Trinisette in particular. If the Laws would enter a state of chaotic off-balance across the parallel axis, it would lead to... Enma didn't want to think about it because the results would be more than catastrophic.

They were more than just obstinate.

"What. The. **_Hell_**."

They were _obsessed_. Obsessed to the point that it had transcended past the space-time continuum of a single world and it has - will have - cause death and despair to all too many!

"Why are they so insistent? Are they not satisfied with what they've already achieved in the worlds that have fallen in their hands? The Laws fell apart there - _we felt it -_ the fates of those worlds are already changed beyond recognition!"

"If you kids had not came, then that is the future they will head to." Kawahira said in a way that could be construed as consolation. But whether to was to Enma or to himself, only Kawahira himself knew. "Your mere existences have already paved way to a new reality - a hopeful one at that."

Enma's bangs hid his eyes when he silently his back hunch and the top of his head was pressed against the window pane. His expression was unreadable save for the thin line that was his lips. Memories of the past came back haunting, the fighting, the blood, the screams, the utter _despair_.

"... We owe the world _nothing_." They really didn't. Not to their world where their deaths were never meant to be, not to this world that they're now told to save, and definitely not to their enemy who are trying to kill off every versions of themselves.

"... I know," Kawahira lowered his gaze and dipped his head ever-so slightly as if to express his apologies. "But it's either the destruction of the Laws that held the balance of the parallel planes together, or put all faith on the impossible... in the hopes that it could be possible."

Enma made no comment; instead, he took a deep breath, then exhaling to push aside every emotion that was stifling his chest. He often found that to be quite handy in that it helps him calm down and clear his mind. Shortly after, he pushed himself back on his own feet, his back as straight as before.

"The Laws are apathetic... and so are you," Though his words were that of a barb, Enma flashed a grin that showed his set of pearly teeth. When he reopen his eyes, Kawahira and Bermuda was in the presence of one Simon Decimo. Like Tsuna, he was told to never let anything get to him, but if it does, he was not to dwell in it for too long. He needed to maintain a level head and prioritize his family in the course of his actions.

"Anyways, let's find a way to break you two out because, clearly, punching it wasn't enough." There was no time for him to waste in brooding when he have better things to do.

"The cell is also made of material that born these binds of ours, it neutralizes the abilities of flames within the area it encases," Bermuda helpfully inputted, since, after all, _he_ wanted to escape as well. "Though it doesn't affect the flames when its circulating internally within our bodies."

Enma blinked. Well, it wouldn't do Tartaruga any good for the plan they were trying to achieve if Bermuda lost the support of the Night flames in his bodies. But the fundamental weight of what Bermuda provided was contradictory in and of itself, so he was more than a little impressed at the degree they have gone to imprison Kawahira and Bermuda while preserving the latter from dying due to the lack of support from his flames as well as preventing the Arcobaleno from whisking away in shrouds of black flames.

"Does that mean it nullifies flames that touches it too...?" At a nod, Enma idly mused that it reminded him of the confines they were in moments ago.

"Then..." He paused and took a moment to stare at steel door off to the side. Or to be more specific, the lock on the door. "..."

 _So,_ Enma mused with dry humor, _they guarded against flame users but never thought to guard against petty thieves._

...Then again Bermuda and Kawahira didn't look like people who bothered to learn mundane skills (or, at least, in the face of non-humans who held near invincible powers for all their lives) like lock picking.

(It was times like this that Enma was grateful to have been forced to learn random, miscellaneous skills along with Tsuna. Granted, they got a TNT in the face for every failure, but that was besides the point.)

The Simon Decimo's mouth jerked into an spontaneous grin, sly and filled with mischief. "Oh, this is going to be a walk in the park!"

* * *

.

.

.

 ** _Cough, cough, wheeze...!_**

Tsuna leaned over, a hand pounding his chest while the other was propped against his knee cap to keep his balance. He was _not_ liking this nasty coughing fit he got from the over-the-top flame output he did.

"Gao..." Natsu didn't return to his ring form, instead, the Sky lion looked worriedly up at Tsuna, who was holding him in his arms and did his best to help Tsuna stabilize the system of supportive membranes he built over his internal organs. "Gaouuu..."

"Natsu," Tsuna smiled as amusement played on his lips, it was weak but recovering. "That sounded like a howl."

" _Gao!_ " Natsu expressed that he was absolutely scandalized.

"I _know_ you're a lion." Tsuna chuckled and tried the stroke the indignation that he provoked out of his partner. "But you rarely roar like one anyways."

"Gao, gao, gao!"

Tsuna laughed this time, finding truth in Natsu's retort. He doesn't roar like one either, nor show his claws, unless someone provoked him.

The though brought nostalgia into his eyes, but it quickly disappeared as he gave a fleeting glance at the unconscious Iemitsu - which, by the way, was _not_ Tsuna's fault - after being done in by a ten-ton Leon mallet (Tsuna managed to talk Reborn out of putting lead into the CEDEF's head in favor of the said mallet, which showed the obvious result). He was rather thankful for that, because Tsuna didn't want to deal with the headache that Iemitsu brought with him any longer than he should.

He's had enough problems to deal with as it is.

Tsuna let out a loud sigh and put himself back together before facing a crowd of faces mixed with various of expressions ranging from confusion to shock to worry.

He smiled at them, "So... first, let me just say, sorry for messing up the courtyard."

More than one person's mouth twitched. 'Messing' was an understatement, as it looked like a post-war zone with the scorched earth here, upturned earth there, and webs of miniature craters littering everywhere, then adding the cherry on top were the uprooted trees that were caught in the _wind_ of the blast.

Fortunately, no one care for that - it wasn't like any of them had to do the paperwork for it anyways (that was the CEDEF head's job since Nono was temporarily unavailable... who, by the way, was _also_ unavailable as they speak - so, the workload fell onto Ienari, the Decimo-to-be.)

"Your pills," Reborn reminded austerely. "Dame-Tsuna."

"..." Tsuna's mouth twitched, but wordlessly plopped onto the ground and fished out the two half-emptied bottles. A small scowl etched across his face as he shook out two of each and swallowing them just as he was told. "This is annoying."

Reborn and Natsu disapproved of the brunet's complaint, the former attempting a kick, which was dodged aptly by Tsuna, while the latter gao'ed.

The hitman clicked his tongue, but made no further assaults. "Unless you want your funeral to be scheduled to an earlier date..."

Tsuna blinked and instead of replying, he chuckled. After all, he never did get a proper funeral in his last life and Tsunayoshi died without anyone knowing.

Reborn saw through the brunet's thoughts, and it only made his frown deepen.

"Like you've heard before, I'm physically weak -"

Xanxus, Rokudo, and, surprisingly, _Hibari_ snorted.

"- who knows how long -"

" _ **Tsuna**._ "

Said boy merely smiled at the care that Reborn was showing, then it grew warmer as everyone else caught on to what the content of the conversation was about.

To be completely honest, death was a solace to him - and to Enma. But he supposed that there will be people in this world who would miss them, wouldn't there?

But he was just so _tired_ -

"Don't worry!"

Tsuna grinned at the concerned faces and grabbed a fistful of grass, willing himself to think in the present and reminding himself what it was that kept him going this entire time. "I have Natsu." _And my dad,_ was left unsaid, as that was inopportune.

"... Which reminds me," Dino turned to stare at the _lion cub_ in Tsuna's arms. He took a deep breath before intoning, "That's a lion. And from what I'm seeing, a _Sky flaming lion_."

"Natsu!" Tsuna introduced to everyone present as if he was showing his pet to class.

"Gao~!" Said Sky lion wagged his tag and raised a paw in greeting.

"Onii..." Ienari, despite the fact that he should be worrying over his father's state right about now, chanced a finger at the presumably lethal cub. "That's a lion."

"And you _spoke_ lion," Yamamoto pointed in awe.

"I don't think that's the point, Yamamoto," Ienari tried to rectify his Rain. "The _point_ , is that Onii has a lion and _where did the lion come from in the first place?!_ "

Tsuna chuckled, allowing Natsu to scale up his arm and perch on his shoulder as he leaned over his arms propped up against the gorund. "You can say Natsu is a manifestation of my flames. See the mane? Those are Sky flames."

"Yes, we do," Gokudera voiced evenly. "And we just found out you're a _Sky_. A Sky with at least _four other mother-effin' flames_ dammit!"

"EXTREME!" Was Sasagawa's input.

"Language," Tsuna chided the silver haired teen. "And I can't control the other flames as proficiently as I do Sky flames and they take a lot out of me both physically and mentally. Rain and Sun often come easier than Lightning, but Storm, Mist, and Cloud are a whole other story. Those three takes a rather good amount of concentration."

"..." Gokudera's mouth twitched. _So... in conclusion, he has_ all _of them?_

"Speaking of flames," Coyote entered the conversation after having decided that between him and Schitten, the latter will haul Iemitsu to the infirmary. "The Vongola Rings reacted to your flames," He stared Tsuna in the eye. "Tsunayoshi Sawada."

"..." The brunet leveled his sunset-orange eyes with Coyote's dark ones, then smiled. But just when Coyote expected Tsuna to say something _positive_ relating to his position as a candidate for the title of heir to Vongola, Tsuna dropped a bucket of cold water onto his head. "You're giving me too much credit, Nougat-san. Whether I have what it takes to inherit Vongola, I do not plan on doing so."

" _Tsunayoshi_ -"

" _Nougat-san,_ " The brunet's gaze turned sharp. "When you first saw me, I noticed the distinct hope you held. For me, for Vongola's future."

Coyote didn't think the boy to be so keen.

"I also know that that hope stemmed from the fact I resemble very much like Vongola Primo." Tsuna's eyes glinted with an unknown mirth.

"Vongola Primo is a great man and an even better leader, but... I'm _not_ him." His gaze turned solemn. He was proud to be related to Giotto, but that doesn't mean he didn't know how to draw a line between Giotto and himself.

"I am Sawada Tsunayoshi."

 _His descendant_,Coyote wanted to add, but he had the weirdest feeling that Tsuna wasn't going to budge from his stance. Maybe it was that unquestionable aura the brunet was emitting, but Coyote ended up swallowing his words back down helplessly.

"Besides, Ienari has been trained for this for years, hasn't he?" Tsuna looked towards his brother as he made staunchly made his stance clear. "I'm not going to take _anything_ from my brother."

Ienari shifted awkwardly.

"I'm sure you'll be a great leader someday, Ienari."

"..." The blonde pursed his lips, giving his twin a complicated gaze. There were questions he wanted answers to. Ienari might not be the brightest he would like to be, but he wasn't stupid. Tsuna's combat capabilities were beyond any of theirs if the fight against Iemitsu was anything to go by - and don't go telling him something like 'he's a natural at this', because Tsuna had been fighting like a _veteran mafioso_ would. It wasn't possible for a person who had only came out of a coma several months prior - especially a civilian who fell into the coma at the age of nine.

Furthermore, Tsuna would occasionally show wisdom beyond his age - and a part of Ienari didn't like the feeling he felt at those times. Because he couldn't see _Tsunayoshi_ anymore.

And he didn't feel all that good either, at the fact that his brother just had a fight with their father - particularly when his father _hated_ Tsuna for a reason Ienari _still_ couldn't make heads or tails of.

... Actually, scratched that. He felt _horrible_.

"Ienari?" Tsuna noticed the pale complexion on his brother and called out to him worriedly. From what he could read of his eyes the moment Ienari lifted his face, Tsuna had a good idea what was currently eating away at him. He fell into a momentary silence before sighing.

He hopped to his feet, walking over to pat Ienari on the head. "I'll answer the questions that you -" His gaze directed to the rest of the guardians, who also wore complicated expressions. "- all of you may have, but it's not the time and place for it."

At the drop of the last syllable, they all heard the sound of a plane.

.

.

.

"Tsssuuuu-chaaaaan~!" And in came the marshmallow freak that had everyone jumping a foot in the air - minus the Rokudo, Hibari, Tsuna, and Reborn - when he suddenly decided to hop _off_ of the helicopter that was still descending from the air.

"Shiro." Tsuna returned with a poised nod as if there wasn't a suicidal kid appearing suddenly and swooping down with a pair of wings that also suddenly sprouted on his back. He then casually accepted the bag of marshmallows that the child threw at everyone's faces. He frowned when the first marshmallow was plopped into his mouthand sharing another with Natsu. "New brand?"

"Yup! I thought a change would be nice~!"

"Hm..." Tsuna hummed while tossing another in his mouth, his actions reflected as if this was a normal occurrence. (He also shared one more with Natsu, but the lion cub shook his head and hopped off.) "To be honest, I like the previous brand better. This one's too sweet."

"Oh?" The eccentric mafia don of nine-years-old grinned. "That just means that you don't have much of a sweet tooth, Tsu-chan~!"

"My teeth will rot if it gets any sweeter." The brunet retorted while offering Reborn the marshmallow bag. "Tell me that this is too sweet."

Reborn raised a brow, but plopped a white fluff of all things sugary into his mouth nevertheless.

His face twisted in mild disgust o the reaction of his taste buds. "Bakuran, hand over all your marshmallows. I'm burning them."

"See?" Tsuna returned a smug smile to the white haired individual, who looked absolutely scandalized.

"Um... h-hold on a second," Ienari and his guardians stared at their interaction incredulously, wondering just exactly was going on. And although Ienari knew that Tsuna knew the Gesso Don from last time, but he didn't think his brother knew _knew,_ so he would like to straighten things out before things get even more confusing.

"Ah," The tone Tsuna took on was as if he had forgot about them. "Sorry about that Ienari. It was important."

How exactly was discussing about marshmallow brands important?!

"You two..." Dino sweated, looking between the two. "Know each other?"

"Tsu-chan and I are besties!" Bakuran offered while swinging an arm around Tsuna's shoulders with himself hovering in the air.

"Not." The brunet pulled his arm away and looked at him sternly. "You have a bestie, I have a bestie. And it's _definitely not_ with each other - speaking of which," Tsuna squinted at the plane that had just landed on the ground a safe distance away (It goes to show just how high Byakuran had jumped from). "Is that Yuni waving at us that I see?"

"Yup~!" Bakuran answered gleefully. "Now, onto the main business... what do you think of the marshmallow brand?"

"I swear to god," Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose as a vein started to pop. "As much as it's an important topic - sugar level wise - that is _not_ the main business!"

"But Tsu-chan -!"

"No means no Shiro." The brunet gave him a stern look befitting of an elder sibling reprimanding a younger. "Change the brand, that's _final_. I don't want an even more sugar-induced freak on the list of things that I have to deal with."

If memories served him right, the last time that happened, they had to stop Byakuran from turning Italy upside down...

"... fiiiine."

"Your attitude gives me a headache the size of Japan." Tsuna huffed in annoyance. "And _stop digressing!_ ""

"...how did the little trash and his ride get past security?" Xanxus finally spoke, staring at the helicopter with even more kids hopping off. (Why was he getting the feeling that this place was going to become a daycare?)

"Sho-chan designed the security!" Implying that said security system was nothing against its very inventor.

"..." More than one person blanked.

"Byakuran -!" Irie Shoichi sounded exasperated (and slightly exhausted) as he hastily made his way over to he group along with Spanner and Yuni. "Stop giving me a heart attacks!"

The young inventor will never get used to the kind of things that Byakuran could pull out of nowhere. If it wasn't for Yuni's constant reassurances, Irie was seriously going to get a cardiac arrest with how the Sky Mare _just up and jump off of the helicopter_. But even if he hadn't gotten one, Irie was pretty sure he lost a few years of his life in that instant.

"But it was soooo slow!" Byakuran whined, folding his arms across his chest, causing Irie to splutter.

Yuni shook her head helplessly before making her way over and greeted Tsuna with a hug. "Sorry we're late!"

"It's fine," The brunet returned the child's embrace with one of his own. He relished in the rare serenity that only Yuni, the (to-be) Sky Arcobaleno, could give to the other Holders. After all, the Sky Arcobaleno balances all the other Skies of Trinisette, seeing as trouble often come after Tsuna while Tsuna pulled Enma into the chaos, then there was Byakuran, who seeks trouble more often than not. In other words, Yuni brought all of them a sense of balance and tranquility to some extent and kept them from completely falling off-kilter. (An anchor, for the lack of a better word.)

Tsuna smiled helplessly, releasing the young Sky. "It's been one thing after another today..."

"Isn't that normal, Tsuna-san?" Yuni giggled, tilting her head. "It's never a dull moment with you around."

"I suppose so," Tsuna quirked his lips, watching as Byakuran showed off Irie and Spanner to the three other adults present (Xanxus, Dino, and Coyote) with a show of enthusiasm. "And Byakuran never did allow a dull moment either."

"Ah," Yuni suddenly tugged at Tsuna's sleeve, gesturing for the latter to lower himself to her level. The brunet accomdated and listened to what Yuni had to say. "Tsuna-san, Mom wants me to tell you..."

The rest was a whisper, and Tsuna had to take a brief pause to blink when Yuni finished.

"I see..." Tsuna mumbled absentmindedly, a barely noticeable frown etched on his face. "There's just so much..."

He massaged his temples and sighed, coming to a decision as he turned to get Byakuran's attention. "Shiro!"

"Here!" The Sky Mare immediately raised his hand from where he was. "You do remember why I told you to come, right?"

"Oh..." The child deflated immediately, dragging his feet as he obediently walked towards the brunet. "The thing plaguing Nono, ne?"

"Wait," Coyote was the first to respond if it was anything relating to his boss. "What about Nono?"

"They may have a way to save Nono," Reborn explained, being helpful for once.

"What?!" Schitten came back just in time to overhear Reborn's words, he turned his head to Tsuna. "Is that true, Tsunayoshi?!"

Instead of answering though, Tsuna turned to Byakuran. "Well?" His eyes demanding the latter of why never told him about Nono's condition in the first place.

The Sky Mare cringed and stared at the ground guiltily. "We hadn't found a working theory and solution back then, so it wouldn't have made any difference even if I told you earlier."

The edge to Tsuna's look all but disappeared after Byakuran explained himself.

"So," Reborn picked up, voicing for both of Vongola Nono's two guardians currently present. "Does this mean..."

"Nono can get better!" Yuni was the one who answered, helping Byakuran take off some of the attention.

"Yuni-chan and I had thoroughly studied those rotten black flames that was surrounding Nono's," Byakuran continued before any of them could voice the obvious 'how', frowning along the explanation as if trying to simplify his words. "Inverted flames, if you haven't already been told by En-chan - by the way, where is he -"

"Somewhere in Italy," Tsuna clipped the Mare off. "I am _so_ going to give him a piece of my mind -"

"Tsuna," Reborn gave the brunet and the albino a look, well informed of that habit of theirs from last time. "You're digressing."

"... right," Tsuna scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Enma went to save his Family."

"Oh," Byakuran blinked and understood immeidately what that entailed, then he laughed. "I warned him about being rash too... but that aside," He quickly redirect the conversation back after becoming the receiving end of Reborn's sharp look. "Inverted flames, right. It... well, like it's name implied, they are the _exact_ reverses of the flames that came about from Trinisette."

"They counter our flames perfectly," Yuni picked up, her expression one of worry. "Tainted flames are a result of pure flames coming into contact with Inverted flames, and at some point in time, those flames will be swallowed, changing their properties completely. Hence, while tainted flames retained properties of the Sky, Inverted flames does not."

"Nono is currently at the tainted stage," Byakuran added. "Tainted Sky to be exact, looks like a mix of black and orange when it's manifested."

"... He's has been in that state for _two years_." Reborn emphasized. He doubted that it would take that long for Inverted flames to completely absorb pure flames.

"That's because the carrier of those Inverted flames wanted to mess around with Vongola," Byakuran didn't try to beautify his choice of words. "Tartaruga has some apparent grudge with ya'll."

He shrugged at the incredulous looks and pouted indignantly. "Don't look at me like that, I haven't figured that out yet! The guy is a weirdo, I tell ya -"

"Shiro," Tsuna gave said boy a look. "I faintly recall us going through this once already."

"Eh? Really?"

"... back to the point," Yuni, the ever little angel that she was, brought the conversation back. "Inverted flames alter pure flames' properties to the exact opposite."

"So, since Sky flames's property is Harmony, then... " Tsuna was getting a clear picture now, eyes widening in disbelief. "An Inverted Sky brings... _Discord?!_ "

" _True_ Discord," Yuni reiterated with emphasis. "Unlike when pure Skies fall into a temporary state of discord due to being misguided by their own imbalanced emotions, Inverted Skies are in a _constant state of disharmony,_ their rationales aren't affected as seriously by their emotional states. "

"Quick question," Ienari meekly raised his hand. " _Where_ did you get all of this from?"

"We did our studies through subject sampling, field study, and several trials and error, duh~" Byakuran rolled his eyes, casually listing things that any normal kid _wouldn't_ do at the age of nine, then he thumped his chest proudly. "Besides, Yuni has her clairvoyance and I have my amazing-super-duper-awesome powers -"

"- cheats -"

"- for this!" Byakuran cast Tsuna a look of grievance for the latter's interjected correction.

Tsuna returned the marshmallow addict a deadpan. "I'm not going to call it something that long when I have a shorter - and much more accurate, if I might add - name for it."

"But... but -"

" _In other words_ ," Reborn was going to fire bullets at someone soon if this kept up. "Yuni received information from the future and Byakuran got it through his parallel visions?"

"Bingo!" The Sky Mare send a thumbs up in the infant's direction.

"That ain't something worth praising," Xanxus injected into the conversation, scowling deeper than usual. "I give zero f**ks about those parallel sh*ts -"

"You don't even know what my powers do!"

\- Xanxus learned very quickly to ignore whatever Byakuran sprouts out of that mouth of his in these types of things. "But if the kid got info from the future, then that could only mean the future's really f**k'ed up."

Taut silence reigned the group when the implications finally sunk in.

"Well," Gokudera broke the silence, bring all attention to him. "We could always check since we _do_ have a sorta time-traveling machine."

His emerald green eyes landed on Lambo, who was oddly silent in Dokuro's arms this entire time.

The child of only seven flinched, shaking his head vehemently as he held his hands protectively over his afro. "No, I don't wanna!"

"Stupid cow, it'll only take five minutes!" Gokudera was about to reach for Lambo when the latter jumped out of Dokuro's grasp and ran. "Oi! Come back here!"

Reborn's eyes narrowed at the peculiar reaction from Lambo, but he didn't say anything - or rather, he didn't have to, because Yamamoto voiced his presence.

"It's... um," Yamamoto's hand shook when he raised it to gain attention. Nervous from the looks of it, and it was easy to see the hesitance and fear in the teen's eyes. "Horrible, actually."

"Yamamoto?" Ienari frowned, and though he didn't realized the concern written on his face, Tsuna was glad that his little brother was opening up.

"I..." Yamamoto's gaze found interest in the spot between his feet as he rubbed his hand against his arm. "Um... remember that one time the Ten-Year Bazooka fell on me?"

Ienari furrowed his brows, trying to recollect that particular day.

"It's okay if you don't remember," The baseball player offered a strained smile. "It's not something _I_ particularly wanted to remember either."

"Is it that the reason you suddenly changed your attitude?" Reborn, as sharp as ever, pointed out. The Rain guardian had tried to conceal it back then, but as good at it he was, nothing could ever hide from the World's Number One Hitman for long.

"Y-yeah," Yamamoto cringed again, he tried to look up, only to return to that spot between his feet.

"Yamamoto-kun," Tsuna knitted his brows in concern. "You don't have to tell us if it makes you uncomfortable."

His eyes flickered with a certain conviction. "No one will force you."

"No... I'm fine," Yamamoto, oddly enough, relaxed (but then again, Tsuna always did have a knack to make him - or anyone, for that matter - feel warm and comfortable). "I guess my future self was in a hospital, because that's the place I landed in - and no, I wasn't injured... I think. Aside from that, I was blind for those five minutes because Ienari - the future one - covered my eyes. He told me to wait, and he sounded so... _so hopeless_ too."

There was a pause where Yamamoto only smiled ruefully. "But that still didn't stop me from seeing my father lying in that hospital room, covered in blood and injured and - and _dying -"_

" **Yamamoto** ," Tsuna's gaze was filled with something that _wasn't_ pity. Yamamoto liked to think that it was solace, because he felt pulled into that very warm that washed away that cold despair of losing his parent - _again._

"Thanks," Yamamoto smiled at the brunet, then to the blonde who had rested a hand on his shoulder at the same moment Tsuna snapped him out. "I mean it."

Everyone took a moment to absorb what Yamamoto said and connected with the crude statement that Byakuran made earlier. Vongola's future was rather bleak if the Tartaruga targeted the guardians' families as a way to make them suffer.

"Even ten years later -"

 ** _Poof!_**

\- The sound of the Ten-Year Bazooka shooting off cut Dino off.

Eyes flew to where Gokudera was sitting with something closed to nonplussed in his eyes as the Ten-Year Bazooka rolling to a stop next to him, there was a human-size pink smoke where Lambo should be and -

"NO!"

\- Everyone was startled by that desperate shriek.

* * *

 **A/N: Back from AX guys! And to be completely honest with myself, it wasn't as good as last year (despite the fact that I had my phone stolen last time) and the heat wave was _unbearable -_ it's like trying to walk in a blow dryer because it was both hot and windy. And I took more breaks than I did last time, as there wasn't anything that caught my interest - I'm very picky. (My friends were there with suggestions, so at least I didn't have nothing to do)**

 **What made me satisfied with my trip is the KHR official visual book (colored) that have lots of the manga arts! (There were just so few KHR merchandises that I spend _hours_ in the exhibit hall and artist alley until I found something that's worth spending on Q-Q).**

 **This chapter... could be better, tbh, but I can't seem to improve it - especially Tsuna and Iemitsu's showdown. Sorry if it's disappointing, but I left it like this because it's annoying and it'll take a while for me to actually improve it and you guys will be *** _cough_ *** hounding *** _cough_ *** me (￣▽￣;). Also, a** _lot_ **is happening around Tsuna through the course of one day.**

 **The scenes have too many people that I can't handle it, sojust remember that they're all there as the background if I didn't make a dialogue for any one of the characters x.x**

 **Anyways, this chapter is longer than the usual ones because hey, I'm trying to bribe my way out of that cliffhanger I left the chapter at :D /shot**

 **So, happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	41. Beginning of a Counter

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

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Ten-Year-Later Lambo gasped erratically, eyes dilated as his knees buckled. He didn't bothered to look at his surroundings, his mind too much of a mess to care where his younger self was before the time-travel.

"Five minutes." Teen Lambo mumbled absentmindedly. "Five minutes until I return. Just hang on for five minutes..."

He then busied to convince himself that everything will be okay with his mantra, but it didn't seem to work. It _never_ seemed to work and - and _dammit_ -

"Lambo."

\- he was suddenly wreathed in warm - _warmsafecomfort_ solace - invisible tendrils of flames that made the world stop and his mind relax.

Teen Lambo jerked away, taking a step back and finally looked up in caution. His emerald green eyes were met with warm sunset-orange and it... it was so, _so_ unlike Ienari's bleak ones.

He turned his head, taking his surroundings once before returning to the brunette that, somehow, managed to get in near him without him noticing.

"W-who... who are you?"

Tsuna blinked, but smiled as if there was nothing wrong with the question. However, he wasn't the only one who found something rather odd about Lambo as a whole.

"Tsunayoshi, but it's Tsuna for short."

Lambo stared, his lips pressed into a thin line. "... Nice to meet you." He kept his head down, his shoulders as tense as they have been since he was sent back to past.

He knew how different he was behaving compared to all the other times that he was arrived ten years back and he knew that divulging anything about the future was taboo, but he didn't want to wear the mask anymore. He was _tired_. Tired of that lazy pretense, tired of pretending that everything was fine when it's not, tired of being _ignorant_ -

"Want one?"

\- A familiar piece of candy in purple wrapper that he haven't seen in a long time was placed in front of him.

Lambo looked up sluggishly, seeing Tsuna smiling and scratching the back of his hand sheepishly. "I, um... well, I tend to keep some grape candy on me in case little Lambo wanted some, but now that I think about it, it has been nearly a week since I last seen him - ah, do you like grape candy though? I don't know if your taste changed after ten years but it's the only thing I could think of that could cheer you up since you look really down in the dumps. I may not know what you're going through, but I - _we're_ here to listen if you ever want to share..."

Lambo stared woodenly as Tsuna rambled, not exactly sure how to react to the boy he didn't remember meeting nor did he know how to explain the warmth spreading in his chest

"... so don't keep it to yourself. Even if you can't say anything, it's better to let it all out Lambo," Tsuna placed a hand on the future teen's shoulder, pushing the candy into Lambo's hand. "Everything will be alright, Lambo."

Lambo received the sugar treat, staring at the candy absentmindedly before his hand slowly closed around it and placing it against his stifling chest.

"... Thank you," He whispered as his body hunched, leaning in, and like a broken dam, tears flowed down his cheeks in a constant stream as he wailed his heart out.

Tsuna pulled Lambo's hunched form into him, wrapping his arms around and stroking the other's back in comfort, secretly adding a touch of Sky to better the effect.

Everyone was prudent enough to remain silent as the Ten-Year-Later Lambo cried and Tsuna whispered words of comfort for the remainder of the five minutes, following which was another - **_poof!_** \- and seven-year-old Lambo fell into Tsuna's arms.

"Welcome back, Lambo," Tsuna wasn't fazed by the sudden switch, instead, he fished out another grape candy with his free hand and offered to the sniveling boy. "Want one?"

"... T-Tsuna-nii..." Lambo croaked with watery eyes, latching his arms onto the brunet's shirt and buried himself in it. "I... I'm b-back! I-It was scary with all those meanies chasing after us a-and you weren't there to give me candy and - and -"

"There, there," Tsuna gently rocked Lambo to calm him down, ignoring the grave looks that suddenly showed up on several people's faces. "Everything will be okay, Lambo. Everything will be okay."

"T-Tsuna..." Yamamoto wasn't was clueless as he used to be after that accidental time-travel. He was one of the first ones to catch the implications of what seemed to be mindless remark.

Reborn stopped the Rain with a look, but the thin line that was his lips betrayed his carefully carved poker-face.

"... Byakuran," Tsuna said with a heavy heart, controlling his volume since Lambo quickly fell asleep in his arms. "After I put Lambo to bed, we'll get on how we'll heal Vongola Nono, then we'll do asomething about Enma, yeah?"

"A-Ah," Byakuran faltered, stumbling over his words when he saw the exhaustion behind Tsuna's eyes - an exhaustion that belied his physical age. "Y-yeah, sure, sounds like a plan, Tsu-chan!"

.

.

.

"Basically, we need a high enough density of pure Sky flames to counteract with the Inverted one." Byakuran explained. The shrunken group ( barring Reborn, Tsuna, Byakuran, and Yuni, everyone else were told to wait outside despite their echoing protests - it would've lasted for a while if Reborn hadn't shut them up) were currently in room that Nono was recuperating in - and now that Tsuna took a closer look, it was a room especially designed to accommodate the Vongola Don's daily needs and medical treatments. "And trust me when I tell ya that the Inverted Sky flames are _denser_ with any one of ours, so even if it sounded simple, it isn't."

"... you're kidding." Tsuna almost didn't want to believe it, but upon seeing the solemn expressions on the two chosen holders of the Trinisette, he reaffirmed reality.

"It's a working theory," Byakuran admitted. "It's not the best, but it's all we got at the moment!"

"Have you tested it out?"

"No..."

"So," Tsuna deadpanned. "You want to use my Grandfather as a... a _guinea pig_?"

Reborn frowned at the very prospect, after all, this was the man he pledged loyalty to after all. "What if it doesn't work?"

"Even if it doesn't work, Nono will still gain some relief from the flames we will donate to him!" Byakuran answered.

"We?" Tsuna raised a brow, expressing his doubt.

"Yup!" Byakuran turned, surveying Nono's condition. "Like I said, Inverted flames are denser than any one of the Elements in the Trinisette. They don't need to harmonize like ours does where our strength is proportional to the degree of harmonization we have with our Elements, because Inverted flames are stronger when it's in discord - you could say it's the solitary type. They don't need bonds to work - or rather... they _thrive_ in chaos, and exacerbating it."

"..." Three pairs of eyes flew to Reborn at the last remark.

"What," Reborn demurred, looking rather put-off. "I feel _insulted_ that you guys put me on the same category as them."

"Anyways," Yuni giggled, finding humor in Reborn's sarcasm. "If the Inverted flames are denser than any one of ours, then..."

"We just need to harmonize our Sky flames together to beat it!" Byakuran finished where Yuni left off. "And it must be a perfect harmonization as well if we want to wipe it out completely."

Tsuna gave the duo a deep stare and sighed. "Yuni saw this." He turned to said girl, his gaze knowing. "That's why you returned to Italy earlier than your mom, isn't it?"

"I... I'm sorry," Yuni shrunk under the brunet's gaze, playing with her fingers and looking so much like a child caught after breaking a vase. "I know you're worried, but I didn't want to sit around and do nothing..."

"I'm not blaming you, Yuni," Tsuna consoled by ruffling the other's dark, navy hair. "I know the feeling of having to sit and do nothing, but you should've at least _called_ so that if you ever get into danger, I'm not assuming you're still safe and sound in Japan."

"I'll keep that in mind for next time."

 _Next time?_ The corner of Tsuna's lips quirked with a mix of exasperation and amusement. "So, both of you are synchronizing your flames?"

Byakuran and Yuni shared a look before turning simultaneously to Tsuna in a practiced sheepish smile.

Tsuna didn't need his Intuition's alert to feel that sudden foreboding.

"Actually," Yuni started somewhat nervously. "As I have not yet inherit the Sky Pacifier -" Tsuna frowned, it was another reminder that he needed to speed up the preparations " - from my Mom, so... the output of my flames are on the... lesser side of the spectrum."

Tsuna pondered for a second before turning to Byakuran, face a near deadpanned. "And you're going to tell me that you haven't found your ring _still_?"

The Mare only laughed and promptly dodged the predicted smack coming his way. "It's easier for us to access our flames through our mediums, but not impossible, Tsu-chan! The density of our flames will remain unchanged since we _are_ the Trinisette Sky Holders, it just takes a lot more out of Yuni and I to thoroughly counteract the Inverted flames if it's just us two."

Tsuna raised a brow. "Meaning..."

"You'll have to sync your flames with ours as well," Byakuran grinned. "Like the good ol' days!"

"... I'm not part of -"

" _Tsunayoshi_ ," It was one of those rare moments that Byakuran opened his eyes as he spoke Tsuna's actual name. "No matter how you many chances you him, the Rings have already made its choice. I'm sure you know the differences between Holders and Keepers, ne?"

"..." The brunet pursed his lips into a thin line, but after a brooding pause, he let out a sigh that echo'ed his impotence. "Let's discuss this later. Besides, it's not like I'm going to leave my Grandfather on his deathbed even if I'm not."

Yuni and Byakuran wore matching grins... and Tsuna wondered if it was _really_ a good idea to let Yuni continue hanging out with Byakuran all day long without any supervision of any sort.

"It would've been better if you were..." Yuni trailed, glancing worriedly over to the brunet to which Tsuna immediately understood the underlying message. He may have the required flames but his current body might not necessary support the amount that he was going to use.

"Don't worry," The former mafia don shook his head with a chuckle, fishing out the sealed Ring of the Sky Version X. He played with it for a moment before calling Natsu back out. The little furry ball of fire bounced onto Tsuna's shoulder before he revealed his form - like always.

"Gao~!" Natsu purred, tilting his head.

"I'll be fine," Tsuna grinned, remembering to take his pills as well before entering Hyper Dying Will mode. "Ready?"

The two younger Skies nodded in unison.

"It might get a little bright, Reborn."

"Got it," At the warning, Leon transformed into a pair of sunglasses and a moment later, the room was lit in a brilliant shower of Sky flames, each with a radiance that pulsed in the nearly the same rhythm as the other until at one point, they synchronize into one single wavelength.

The trio shared a look, nodding in a silent mutual agreement Yuni stepped up to place a hand over Timoteo's forehead, followed closely by Byakuran and Tsuna, both with their hands stacked over the other.

Being the guide for all three of their flames, Yuni concentrated in leading the Sky flames into the Timoteo's meridians and directly coming into contact with the concentrated oozing Inverted Sky that had trapped the latter's flames.

The three harmonized Skies created a sphere around the cage and slowly purified the liquidity black flames. Natsu, meanwhile, made sure the fragile support that Tsuna made around his internal organs was kept from tipping off-kilter sa well as from over-straining.

The process didn't go unnoticed by outsiders either, since everyone else was waiting anxiously outside of the room. They all sensed the sudden presence of three Sky flames activating all within a moment's notice, it's light was so blinding that it was even visible through the gaps around the door.

"Whoa..." Dino's eyes dilated in shock, because honestly, his flames could never get _that_ bright.

There was also a tranquil harmony emitting from the room, inadvertently settling the group's nerves.

"Wha -ah!" Ienari's attention was stolen when the sudden glow of the Vongola Sky ring caught him off guard. "W-what's going on?!"

"It's happening again!" Yamamoto commented as he raised his ring up for everyone to see.

"Extreme transformation!" Sasagawa grinned, fist-pumping the air.

Hibari gave a fleeting glance to his ring before clicking his tongue in annoyance and turned away.

(If Enma was present, it would take him less than a breath's time to realize what was going on with only the clues of the rings resonating with the Sky flames inside and their changing appearances.)

"Why is it changing shapes again...?" Gokudera mumbled, hiss brows knitted in confusion. He couldn't get rid of that nagging feeling at the back of his mind when he caught glimpsed of that familiar-yet-not new form that his Storm ring took on before switching back to the one _he_ was familiar with.

"Is it..."Rokudo mumbled under his breath, pulling that familiar tug from that other that he reluctantly accepted guidance from on rare occasions. He shared a look with Dokuro, the other nodding back to confirm his suspicion.

"Kufufu..." The Half-Mist looked back to the door, smirking as he clasped a hand over the Mist ring on his right hand. "I see."

* * *

Itzal paused, sensing the disconnection. His eyes narrowed as a feral grin crept up his face. "So they managed to counter back?"

"Boss?"

"Nothing," Itzal leaned back, resting in his seat as the helicopter take them back to base. "The Clams are they making their last struggle."

"Then what about -"

"Even if there is an anomaly blocking our way," Itzal shot Vincent a lazy look, though there was a dark flame alight in his aquamarine eyes. "We'll find and crush it no matter how hard the Laws is trying to hide it."

* * *

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Vongola Nono, sensing a certain warmth and balance returning to his ever-so cold person, slowly woke up. What he came upon had both shocked and confused him, for there were three children smiling down at him from their positions next to his bed. Two of them he recognized as belonging to the Gesso and Giglio Nero famiglias respectively, while the third... reminded him of the portrait he often visited in the past because of his mother's admiration for the man, which, in turn, lead to his admiration as well.

The boy in front of him was almost like a carbon-copy of Vongola Primo if not for his hair color and honestly, Nono wasn't sure if he was seeing things.

"Who...?"

"Grandfather." Tsuna's address struck Timoteo like lightning.

The latter did a double take, staring owlishly as blurry memories of him sealing the flames of child thinking it was for the child's own good came rushing back to him. However, after he gained more knowledge of flames later on as well as experience what it was like to have his own flames trapped (although under different circumstances) left the elderly man feeling weight of guilt and tasting bitter regret.

"You're..."

"Tsunayoshi," The brunet smiled wearily. "It's been a long time, Grandfather."

It worked! It worked!" Byakuran laughed as he took Yuni's hands and spun gleefully around the room. He didn't look the least bit exhausted, unlike the other two. "We're so smart!"

"Shiro," Tsuna turned to the duo, frowning disapprovingly. "Don't drag Yuni into it, she's tired."

"How are you feeling Nono?" Reborn asked, hopping onto the bed Timoteo rested on.

"Reborn," The old man turned his head, blinking in confusion. "What's going on...?"

"Long story," The hitman cast a quick glance at an exasperated Tsuna trying to stop Byakuran from making Yuni nauseous. "The key points that you need to know is that you have another grandson by the name of Sawada Tsunayoshi, and you shouldn't expect any peaceful days in the near future - paperwork is already stacking up higher than normal already."

Nono sighed at Reborn's twisted sense of humor. "Not exactly what I want to hear the moment I woke up..."

 ** _SLAM!_**

"Nono!" Chorused several voices after the abrupt slam of the door, Coyote and Schitten were especially loud. It was their Sky after all.

"How are you feeling?" Coyote was by the elderly man's side in seconds and forcing Timoteo back down when the latter tried to get up. "You have not fully recover yet, Nono."

"I'm feeling better now," The aged-old man smiled reassuringly and attempted sitting up again. "And I have been feeling a little stiff from being bedridden for so long."

Coyote sighed, knowing he couldn't argue with his Sky. Hence, he took a pillow and placed it up against the headboard to that Timoteo could lean against it.

"Grandpa!" Ienari greeted with relief. "I'm glad you're awake."

"Ienari...?" This was the first time he had seen his grandson since he and his guardians had last flown back to Japan. As for the few days he was staying in the mansion recently, Timoteo fell into a deep sleep, so even when Ienari visited, Timoteo wouldn't be able to see him.

His grandson has changed, Timoteo noticed. A few months prior, he was still that overly self-absorbed kid who tends to be insensitive and careless. He may have confidence and charisma, but he didn't have the necessary leadership - as shown with how he didn't get along with his guardians all that well.

But now? It wouldn't be far from the truth if Timoteo said he could hardly recognize the child.

"What's wrong, Grandpa?" The blonde knitted his brows, concern unknowingly written over his face. "You don't... recognize me?"

Timoteo shook his head. "Of course I do, Ienari. How have you been?"

"Um..." Ienari thought for a brief moment. "Good, I guess. I mean... I'm learning a lot."

"Oh?" Timoteo blinked in surprise, Ienari didn't usally elaborated himself beyond a 'good' or 'fine'. He turned his attention to Reborn with appreciation in his eyes, "You have taught him well, my friend."

"It's only a given... is what I would like to say," Reborn smirked at the confusion written on Timoteo's face. "Your other grandson has a part in that as well."

"... Tsunayoshi?" Timoteo was, again, reminded of that child he owed so much to. All eyes went to where Tsuna was last seen lecturing a now chastised marshmallow addict.

"Yeah?" The brunet looked up and at Timoteo's beckon, he walked up to the side of the bed, stopping next to Ienari. "What's wrong, Grandfather?"

Timoteo took a moment to look the boy over, feeling relieved that other than looking slightly exhausted, Tsuna was perfectly fine. "I... I'm sorry."

Most people in the room blinked at the sudden apology, a little surprised that Vongola Nono was lowering his head for something they didn't know about, neither did they'd ever seen the proud Don wearing so much guilt on his face.

"I'm fine now, aren't I?" Tsuna tilted his head, a knowing look in his eyes. "The past is in the past, ne?"

"But I should've known better," Timoteo shook his head with a sigh. "With my experiences with flames that time, I should've known better than to seal your flames."

Though most people in the room were given a rundown on Tsuna, they still couldn't stop from being surprised again by the knowledge of the Seal.

"Shows how stupid of a Samaritan that you tried to be." Xanxus scoffed, being the only one who unceremoniously rebuked the man

Tsuna gave the Wreath a reproaching look - which Xanxus snorted at - before returning his attention to his Grandfather. "Yes, you should have."

Timmoteo blinked twice, surprised as everyone else, at the rather unexpected answer.

Tsuna refrained from chuckling in amusement at the reactions. "Do you all expect me to be an understanding guy who will forgive and forget when apologized to?"

He lowered his gaze, no expecting an answer, nor did he waited for one. "I _have_ forgiven, but that doesn't mean it should be forgotten. As crude it might sound, Grandfather, you've have known what the essence of a flame really is back then."

"That day - "He raised his head back up, staring straight into Timoteo's eyes with sunset-orange eyes that the Timoteo found so foreign, yet too familiar, compared to the once-brown that he remembered more than a decade ago. "That _moment_ where you placed the Seal on Sawada Tsunayoshi decided his fate, Grandfather."

(Only a few in the room knew why Tsuna had suddenly switched to third person and speaking in a rather queer speech, because he wasn't speaking for himself, but for _Tsunayoshi_.)

"You and Iemitsu decided that Sawada Tsunayoshi will not live past his teens."

"... O-Onii...?" Ienari, along with everyone else, forgone the confusion from before in favor of being dumbfounded by the information that the brunet just dumped on them. "What do you mean that by? And stop acting so weird!"

He didn't like how his brother was speaking as though he wasn't the person in question. It was too foreign, too stranger, and he didn't understand- nor did he particularly _want_ to understand. And he was sure that his guardians were on his side as well. Because something told them that the day _everything_ came into light would be the day Tsuna disappears - and _none_ of them could imagine it happening.

They could accept Tsuna somehow knowing the mafia, they could accept that Tsuna being _involved_ in the mafia, but they could not - _will not_ tolerate Tsuna disappearing on them. (They avoided the words associated with death, because that only spell one possibility.)

Tsuna gave Ienari a long stare before giving any kind of verbal answer. "Do you think I'm god?"

"W-what?" The blonde was baffled by the sudden question and tried his best not to flinch from the piercing look he was receiving from sunset-orange eyes. "No, I -"

"Then do you think I'm immortal?" Tsuna cut the other off with the same patronizing tone.

"No..."

"Exactly," Tsuna ignored the confusion that was cast in his direction from more than one person. "I'm human, Ienari. I'm not going to live forever, because sooner or later, I'll die -"

"You don't have to be so blunt, dammit." That was from, surprisingly, Gokudera, but Tsuna ignored that as well.

"- like every other human. It's just a matter of time, is all." Tsuna closed his eyes and sighed. It was going to be a track record, he swore. This was the _third_ time that the topic of his to-be death had been brought up today.

Heavy silence reigned the room for a while until the Vongola Don spoke up. "Tsunayoshi -"

"Tsuna," The brunet corrected Timoteo exasperatedly. "The name's a mouthful, Grandfather."

"... then Tsuna," The elderly man nodded at the teen with a wrinkled smile. "There's... still hope, right?"

"Hope?" The brunet raised a brow and it took him a few seconds to decipher it, to which he shook his head to turn down the very idea. "Too late. Even with medical assistance, it's too late." (After all, Tsunayoshi is _gone_.)

"But -"

"I was born with a fragile body, Grandfather," Tsuna shifted his balance from one feet to another to prevent himself from going stiff. "You should know that."

Indeed, Timoteo remembered the report Iemitsu given to him on the day the twins were born.

"The damage is done when you put that Seal on my flames," Tsuna's voice soften to barely above a whisper. "Although the seal broke in that incident -" more than one person grimaced "- I was only able to salvage a few more years."

He tilted his head, a mirthless smile plastered on his lips. "It's why the coma lasted as long as it did."

"But," Tsuna straightened and stretched. "If you really want to make up for your mistake..." A grin stretched across his face. "How about you give me the Sin that Vongola bosses are said to protect?"

Silence.

.

.

.

"Don't get me wrong," Tsuna snapped Timoteo back from being flabbergasted. "I'm not trying to Ienari's future position. It's just that..." He gestured for a way to explain why he needed that tiny bottle of blood that Vongola held so sacred. "... I need it. Really."

Enma may or may not need it (because although the Earth Ring was unsealed, Tsuna never did ask him about the specifics), but Tsuna was positive that his family does. Hence, that being one of his newer objectives after Enma shared with him the status of his family, he thought, with a mind honed by Reborn and polished by Mammon, he might as well take the chance to _extort_ it from Timoteo right now. (A detached part of Tsuna lamented just how cunning he had been turned into by the Arcobalenos of his time.)

"How - _why_ do you even know that?" Coyote all but sputtered. That was just one more thing to put on the list of things that a teen shouldn't know after waking up from a seven-year coma. The fact that he has no knowledge of the mafia _prior_ to his coma made Tsuna an even more enigmatic existence.

(Strangely enough, they were wary of the boy despite all of the unknowns.)

"I just do," Tsuna said innocently, reverting back to being childish. "And I _really_ need it, so... please?"

"A magic word isn't going to cut it Tsuna," Reborn all but rolled his eyes. "It represents the next in line for Vongola. You need to give a more-than-valid excuse."

"It's not like it's Primo's blood anyways," Tsuna muttered low enough that only Reborn with his especially honed hearing could hear. "Talbot has that."

The Sun Arcobaleno gave the teen a deadpanned that Tsuna clearly interpreted as 'what the f***'.

They all heard the heavy sigh that Timoteo let out-

"I'm afraid even if I wanted to give it to you, I can't."

\- and Tsuna was getting a bad feeling about this.

"Since a few years ago, when I was agonizing myself with the heir's position, my Intuition gave a vague sense of danger. Because it has to do with the Inheritance, I entrusted the Vongola Sin to Grandpa Talbot for safekeeping until a heir is named and officially inherit the title of Decimo." Timoteo explained. "It was supposed to be a last resort in case something _does_ happen to either the heir or myself, and Grandpa Talbot's location is often untraceable... however, I _do_ know he will appear in the ceremony - we made an agreement that he will deliver Sin on the day of the coronation for Vongola Decimo."

.

.

.

There was a - **_click_** \- and Tsuna just made a connection to the Sin and the preemptive attack on the current Vongola Don two years back - which, in itself, insinuated something else.

Great.

Tsuna somehow just knew that fate would never make _anything_ easy for him.

(Why was this his life?)

.

.

.

"Look on the bright side, Tsu-chan," Byakuran tried to console the lamenting brunet as they made their way to the helicopter after leaving Timoteo time to rest. "You don't have to go look for Talbot anymore!"

"He was _stationary_ in my world," Tsuna groused over a pointless detail, noting the faint humming of his Intuition at the back of his head.

"That's only after the whole thing with the Arcobaleno." Byakuran shot back all too merrily.

"That wasn't -" Tsuna stopped, massaging his temples. He decided that it was better to not dwell on this subject with Byakuran of all people. "Never mind - and _stay here_."

Byakuran was just about to climb onto the helicopter when Tsuna send him a piercing look. He went for plan B and -

"Nice try, but your puppy-dog eyes are ineffective against me."

\- Byakuran sulked.

Tsuna ignored what was most likely Byakuran's plan C, but when he turned to shut the door to the helicopter, his Intuition's thrum intensified and -

 ** _Swoosh..._**

 _-_ Tsuna's mouth twitched and arms crossed upon the sight before him. "I _knew_ there was a reason why my Intuition told me to wait a bit longer."

* * *

"Jin," came the clear yet monotone voice of a young woman with a color of navy that was just a few shades from Jin's own, braided loosely and falling over her right shoulder. Amber eyes met a pair that was a near identical to her own, and although both of them looked European (namely English), it was an undeniable fact that Eastern blood mixed in their blood by the sharp edge to their eyes.

Jin stopped whatever he was doing to give full attention to the shorter woman, her white lab coat fluttering behind her as she approached him. He observed the barely noticeable frown marring his sister's face that if it was any other person, would've made no difference between her troubled look and a poker one. However, Jin had spend most of his life with the person in front of him and with the bond of blood between them, it was as easy as making her favorite food to appease her on a bad day.

"Sister," Jin tilted his head with a tone a cross between curiosity and concern. Even if he could read his elder sibling like a book, it was rare for her to show any sign of it on her face. Most who did not understand her would say that his sister was emotionless, but Jin knew better. His sister just had a better reign on her emotions than most people, seeing as it had been one of the necessity in order to protect both herself and Jin against the greedy jaws of what was the Lancaster family after the premature deaths of their parents. (It wasn't uncommon, after all, for the branches of a family in the upper end of the social hierarchy to fight for the wealth left behind by the Head before the legitimate heirs were of age to claim it) However, he does worry when there comes a time that - he refrain from thinking along that time.

"Is there something the matter?"

"You have been to the dungeons two hours ago, yes?" Lynn Lancaster stated more than inquired, brushing aside the stray bangs in her eye before putting her hands in the pocket of her coat. "Have you noticed anything strange?"

"... Not that I'm aware of," Jin answered after a short pause, brows furrowed. He would've shared what he found odd on the Simon Decimo's person, but he knew his sister had no interest in that. What she was interested in should be -

"Is there a problem with your security system?" He spoke with surprise ringing clearly in his voice. Lynn, despite her upbringings as an aristocrat lady, have a hobby in science and technology. There were times when Lynn would become so absorbed in her hobby that she closes off from the rest of the world, including the needs to take care of herself. (It often leaves him more exasperated than not and wonder who exactly was the older of the two of them.)

A negligible crease on her forehead and Jin knew that his sister was expressing her affront and frustration at his slip of tongue - something that he, himself, silently cursed under his breath because he knew Lynn has an unhealthy amount of pride in her creations.

"The fault is definitely _not_ in the system I designed, little brother," Lynn allowed a minute huff escape as she retorted her younger brother. If Jin was anyone else, she would've restrained from showing anything at all, but this was her little brother, and she trusted Jin more than she trusted the head of this familgia they've joined.

Jin smiled apologetically, successfully appeasing the shorter woman to return to her impassive state and allow the matter to pass.

"However, as much as I hate to admit, it isn't exactly perfect, per se," Lynn folded her arms across her chest, leaning on her right leg and wearing a minute scowl on her face. "Not with how fragile the materials that were used to make the cameras are."

"Cameras?" Jin raised a brow as his mind already worked through the implications. "Do you mean that they're broken?"

"The monitors are static as we speak," Lynn answered impassively and closed her eyes with a sigh in what he contorted as annoyance. "I was doing a maintenance check on our overall security, so I did not witness what was the caused by the time the men alerted me of the cameras malfunctioning. However, I surmise the surveillance cameras were most likely destroyed deliberately from how they were taken down one by one and imagine my surprise when I saw one of the recordings on the second level. Hence, I decided to head over to deal with the problem myself, which is when I saw you."

"... I understand that we have to replace the incompetent ones later?" Jin said thoughtfully, but his stance straightened more than before.

"Of course." Lynn reopened her eyes, her gaze once again lacking any sort of enthusiasm.

Jin nodded at his sister both in acknowledgement and deferentially. "Then if you will, Sister, allow me to accompany you."

Lynn, in responds, resumed her pace, her steps echo'ed in the empty hall with Jin's addition shortly after.

"Another note, Jin, locks are terrible."

"..." With all do respects, Jin did not expect any of the prisoners to know how to pick locks (Heck, none of _them_ knew either). With them having much more advanced skills such as flames to learn and that it was easier and faster to just destroy the lock (and ergo, the door), something as _mundane_ as lock picking would have elapsed any of their minds.

"And you best inform that Head of ours as well."

"Ah," Jin refrained from slapping his forehead. How could he forget something as important as that when he had made the call an hour prior when he decided to personally voice his doubts? He could only blame inattention ever since that call with Vincent. "Thank you for the reminder, Sister, I'll make the call to Boss and Vincent at this instant."

Lynn shot a fleeting glance over her shoulder to the man following closely behind her while taking out his cell. She may not be in tune in work field as much as her brother, but she was no less sharper than him.

Something was bothering Jin and his distracted state only appeared within the gap between now and when Enma Kozato was brought back. She could easily make the connection to the cause that troubled her always dutiful brother.

Her eyes narrowed, knowing a woman's intuition - especially one as honed as hers - was never wrong. Something was... changing - and she wasn't sure if she should concern both her and her brother in it as much as they have in this whole mafia fiasco.

(As much as she saw Itzal as the Head of the famiglia that she and her brother pledged to serve and as much as she placed her trust to the man who promised them of their desire, Jin was and will always be her first priority as the only family she has left.)

 _Then again..._ Lynn put her thoughts on paused and stared at her hand listlessly. It wasn't in _their_ tenancies to try to understand and bond like the other pure Elements did. They work better in disunity despite their need of a leader that was their very own Sky - which, in and of itself, was a contradiction that should not have existed.

 _Rain's Tranquility,_ She thought wryly. It was only a pretense to of the true characteristic of her flames, as Hardening was to her brother's Lighting.

(Albeit they were unlike the off-kilter Elements who were reign by their emotions, it does have an influence on their disposition in some way or another like any other flames out there would.)

If not for the blood bond between her and Jin that kept both of them interacting with any resemblance of being siblings, Lynn had no doubt she could care less about the younger man as she did to her fellow Elements due to the natural inclination shared in the truth of their flames.

She idly wondered, as they were both now a step away from the door that lead underground, what would happen to that blood bond of theirs if the their true flames were to surface.

Broken, most likely, for though blood is thick, it just couldn't handle the immensity of the flame.

(Somewhere in the back of Lynn's mind, she dreaded the day she would have to experience that loss.)

* * *

"You're not leaving?" Enma raised a brow in the near empty room they were now in after sending the Simon family away through the means of dimension hop - though, not without a good amount of protests from the latter group.

He decided to remain on this island (as he had been informed) was to stall for time. He didn't exactly want the Tartaruga to chase after him and his family the moment they discovered their escape after all. (And he was being just a tad bit petty because he wanted his family to feel how he had felt when they went to be bait themselves) Besides, Vongola wasn't prepared for it either if that were to happen.

However, he didn't exactly expect the company of the other two.

He didn't try to ask Kawahira of his reason for the stay because, by the gods, he couldn't even make sense of why Kawahira treated this place as his own _home_ when Enma'd heard that he had gone out and return with _ramen_. There should be a reason why the primeval being hadn't left when he could, Enma just couldn't figure it out nor did he particularly want to because that would be like explaining Quantum Physics to preschoolers - and he _hated_ Quantum Physics. (It didn't stop Reborn from drilling it into him though [and both he and Tsuna had bewailed why mafia bosses needed to learn something as out of the ball park as that instead of business, diplomacy, and the likes - which was etched into their minds as well], but that was besides the point.)

Bermuda, on the other hand, was less of a complicated rubik's cube than Kawahira despite walking the earth for centuries. Besides, he was good at holding grudges so...

"They dared to imprison me in a _cage_."

"Ah," Enma blinked, tilting his head as he remembered the Veckenschtein's upbringing. "Aristocratic honor and such?" He have read stories of the obnoxious bunch in the social hierarchies back then were _worse_ , way worse, than those stuck-up mafia dons with eyes on their heads. It was, though not main (that was the whole Arcobaleno thing), one of the reasons why Bermuda was so set of taking vengeance against Kawahira. (He had once heard Kawahira complained, in their world, that the aristocrats back in the days were stubborn and overweening using Bermuda as an example because, as a proven fact, the once-man held enough of an obstinate grudge that it created the anomaly that was the Clear Pacifier after Kawahira deceived Bermuda with the whole Arcobaleno thing - which, was understandable by more than one listener.)

The head of Vindice bristled under his bandages. "Don't speak as if you know me, _boy_."

"Sorry," Enma raised his hands in defense. "Old habits die hard, I suppose." He stole a glance at the room that Kawahira and Bermuda were confined in, mumbling offhandedly, "It's not exactly a cage though..."

Sensing himself on the receiving end of a pointed look, Enma smiled and changed the topic.

"You think they've caught on by now?" He gestured. "Although I did try to destroy the cameras one at a time over an irregular time interval before I pick locked my cell, it wouldn't take long until they find a problem with it."

Kawahira raised a brow. "You do realize that there is a camera in that room, right?"

"I do, but what can I do?" He shrugged helplessly. "The composition of your cell is different from the ones upstairs."

The cells he was confined in were nothing like the one that confined the two in front of him. The metal had indeed been _imbued_ with the same material that chained Kawahira and Bermuda down, but not quite. They must have thought that the Simon guardians' flames were not strong (if any) to be of any effect, which was true since Enma knew that other than his Simon Ring, none of the others were unsealed (which brought his attention back to the unsettling thought of the way the Tartaruga were forcing the flames out of his Family.)

It, however, did not include Enma. Gravity was omnipresent and since his confinement didn't nullify his absolute control lest he was using it against the metal (which was how he was able to destroy the cameras before working on the locks).

"They should be alerted by now."

"As we are."

Enma ducked away in time as a cackling card flew his way and embedded itself in the wall behind him. He and the other two towards the stairs that led up, seeing what was most likely a pair of siblings standing at the bottom, blocking the way out.

Jin narrowed his eyes, he would've done more than that if his sister hadn't stopped him. "It was a fatal mistake of putting you in the wrong cell after bearing first-hand witness to your capabilities."

"I have a very... misleading appearance," Enma had to grin at the thought, wondering how many times it was that they were judged as a book by its cover.

"Jin," The other intoned, her eyes traveling towards Enma in an almost curious manner. "You can receive your punishment from the Head once he returns."

Said person clicked his tongue, drawing out more cards and holding them like Belphegor would with his knives. "You'll pay for this."

"..." Enma's mouth twitched as he evaded more flying cards that were as sharp as knives and just as lethal, mumbling, "Aristocrats."

"Don't be a classist, Enma." Kawahira, who heard, chided offhandedly. "Not to mention a hypocrite."

"I don't want to heard that from _you_ of all people," Enma snarked back as he entered Hyper Dying Will mode to counter another assault, this time, from _actual_ knives that were coated with Rain.

Enma hissed when one managed to graze his shoulder, the dulling effect from Rain causing his arm to go numb.

"Enma Kozato," The woman voiced phlegmatically, making Enma look up. "You seem to be on more familiar terms with Checkerface than you should."

"Uh..." Enma inwardly cursed at the slip and couldn't help but glare at Kawahira. "We hit it off like pretty well for our first meeting."

"Plausible," Despite her response, Lynn narrowed her eyes. "But your personality, your demeanor, does not match up to that of the old one even after a life-changing situation."

"..." Enma didn't think this one was so sharp. He hated to deal with these people, they usually see through a lot of things with but a glance. Like now. (Granted, he wasn't exactly making any efforts to hide the changes to Kozato Enma, but still.)

"That and the fact that we are rather sensitive when an anomaly is placed right in front of us." Lynn gave her brother a look. "Admittedly, some of us are not as sharp in that aspect."

Well, Enma heaved a deep breath, he did not expect that, since, after all, Byakuran did say that something akin to a barrier (in his terms: 'mumble jumbo') was placed around him and Tsuna to hide their foreign presence of another world _and_ prevent the influences they bring to this world's future to be detected. Mostly.

(The Laws were careful this time, extremely so, as seen from the measures they have taken.)

Of course, he supposed that it should be obvious when that something was placed right in front of your eyes.

A mistake on his part for not thinking that far ahead (then again, he was a lesser tactician when compared to Tsuna), but it wouldn't change a thing if he had thought of it before him.

But still, there goes the surprise element - though he doubted it would have much effect.

God, he hasn't made some many idiotic mistakes since his teenage years (which he still was physically in this world). It just goes to show how much his judgement was affected by his family after the initial loss - _twice_. But if someone were to ask whether he regretted his actions or not, his immediate answer would be 'no'.

"People like you are hard to deal with, so I'm not going to lie," Enma showed the siblings a feral grin, the gravity around them suddenly changed, forcing the siblings down. "But I'm not going to tell you the truth either."

"I'll need you help in a minute, Bermuda." He notified Bermuda, who took precaution as Enma began to strain to muster all that he could to control an extensive area of gravity and cause what was closed to a magnitude eight earthquake

The space they were in trembled as if in terror, the walls and ceilings beginning to collapse in on itself. Enma ignored it and concentrated on the single point in front of him and the space _warped_.

Everyone felt their sense of time spiral along with the swirling dark hole that was getting bigger and bigger by the minute in front of the redhead, and blocking the latter from view of the siblings.

Enma's feet scrapped against the ground as his - as well as everyone else's - bodywas being pulled in by his Super Gravita Black Hole as he struggled to keep a stable footing.

Lynn and Jin's eyes widened at the sight of the possible bringer of death and tried every possible way to prevent themselves from getting sucked in as the black hole expanded, no longer paying any attention to Enma and the other two. However, before they were even consumed by the artificial black star, the space they were in collapsed first, which in turn, caused the entire _mansion_ above ground to collapse in and bury the occupants underground.

* * *

"Oof!" Enma lost his balance when he dropped out of the horizontal warp hole a few feet above ground, causing him to land - not so gracefully - onto the cold unforgiving ground. "That was uncalled for, Bermuda!"

Bermuda had, after understand the silent cue strangely enough, whisked himself, Enma, and Kawahira away, leaving Enma's newly created black hole to exist and expand for just a few more seconds without its creator.

Though, those few seconds were enough to cause _major_ property damage.

"You know what else is uncalled for?" The redhead froze at the chill in the new yet familiar voice. "The fact you didn't return along with your guardians and had _me_ babysit them while _you_ had one of your suicidal moments."

He slowly turned and despite it being nighttime by now, he could plainly see the the sickly smiling brunet who was cracking his knuckles, though he did note that Tsuna was as drained as he was. Both of them were exhausted it seems, but their worries kept them up.

Enma forced a smile, quipping back despite walking on a eggshells, "Well... mine tend to be more infrequent compared to yours."

"... Enma." A vein throbbed.

"Here!" A weary grin.

"Shut up." A hand twitched.

"Right," A sigh. "Let's sleep on this."

"Let me get one punch in."

" _Hssss_ \- ! Dammit Tsuna, you're merciless! It just _had_ to be on the wound, hadn't it?!"

(It was just one of those days where both of them needed their lights knocked of them to get any good sleep due to them being conditioned light sleepers.)

The two former decimos exchanged blows under the night sky with Kawahira chuckling safely in the distance and Bermuda muttering something along the lines of 'utter hogwash' before relaying a message of the Vindice's temporary lodging plans to Reborn, who had, apparently, been there the whole time with his gun all too eager to put a bullet in Kawahira's head.

(It was a good thing the rooms in the mansion were soundproofed.)

* * *

 **A/N: So... I was having trouble with this chapter because I don't... I just don't know where to go with it and yeah. I mean, I have a vague outline in my head of where this would go and the explanations for somethings, but I'm having trouble putting it into words and finding the right moments to write them in...**

 **The thing about the future (there are two official hints, one very obvious and one semi-obvious...?) is a must and I have been wanting to do that for a while now, but I couldn't get it right honestly.**

 **Yeah, I'm not very good at this.**

 **I don't think you need to squint, but Enma caused property damage. The good kind of property damage - if there is such a thing lol.**

 **Anyways, Tsuna's growing obscure checklist:**

 **1) Vongola (in general)**

 **\- Ienari and his guardians ✓**

 **\- Nono ✓**

 **2) Arcobaleno Curse  
**

 **\- Kawahira ✓**

 **\- Talbot**

 **3) Tartaruga**

 **4) Varia ✓**

 **5) Vindice ✓**

 **6) Enma ✓**

 **Happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**

 **.**

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 **[Extra]**

Lambo was traveling across the rainbow tunnel once more, leaving the warm embrace that he wished had lasted just a tad bit longer.

 ** _Poof!_**

"Lambo!" Dokuro's panicked cry reached his ears, and from the corner of his eyes, he saw Yamamoto trying to reach him from the left. However, his efforts would be pointless, as Lambo was in closer range of the assailants that were chasing after the fallen Vongola.

They were cornered it seems, despite everything they were still _cornered_. (It made his anger churn for some reason.)

Maybe it was better if it all just end -

 ** _"Want one?"_**

\- The boy's voice broke his train of thoughts as he had down less than five minutes ago -

 ** _"Everything will be alright, Lambo."_**

\- And his hand tightened on the candy in his hand, the proof that the existence of the boy wasn't just his imagination.

"Yeah..." Lambo mumbled, as the weapons came at him, who had, somehow, managed to get far apart from the group (no doubt it was the works of his younger self). His flames churned inside of him, too strong for reasons unknown, but it wanted out - and Lambo did just that.

The green ring (a replacement of the one that had symbolize his rank in Vongola) sparked vibrantly with too much crackling lightning that had coursed through his body with an ease he never had before. Too bright of a neon green -

He strangely saw that boy grin in front of him as his Lightning roared.

\- and coated with a protective sky orange.

 ** _"Don't give up."_ **

It was one of the many whispers etched in his memories in that five minutes of comfort and solace.

Lambo blinked the tears away and copied the grin he had seen. "Everything will be alright."

His Lightning roamed free with himself as the epic-center, disarming and barraging their attackers. His flames danced to the song of freedom and seemed to have a mind of its own when it weaved through those who it deemed its friends.

"Wha..." Yamamoto could only gape as another stray lightning avoided him and hit their enemy instead. For reasons unknown, he felt warmth when it bypassed him, one that he could sometime feel with Ienari's Sky - but honestly, this one made him feel safe for once in his war-torn life.

"Lambo's ring!" Dokuro pointed, and both of them saw the cracks beginning to line the illuminating green gem. With this amount of flames around them, they knew that the ring was breaking under the pressure, but it was a surprise that it had lasted so long to begin with.

 ** _"Stay safe, Lambo."_**

The last whisper Lambo had heard before he was transported back echo'ed in his mind as he looked to the crumbling ring of neon green with an orange hue along the cracks.

"I see..." Lambo couldn't help but laugh. The boy must've been worried about the dangers he would face once he returned, so he somehow managed to let his flames linger around enough to function as a one-time lifeline to bring out his own flames potential. (No wonder he had felt so warm in the boy's comforting embrace.) "Tsuna... right?"

"Thank you," The ring finally shattered into pieces as Lambo smiled genuinely, and he hoped, that maybe, just maybe, he could see that person again...

... In that timeline that wasn't his. (At least, not anymore)

 **(A/N: If any of you haven't figured it out, the original future of that world if nothing was messed with... _or_ , it could also be the future if Tsuna and Enma were to fail :DDDDDDDDDDD - /shot)**


	42. Awareness (1)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

The next morning, the room that Tsuna was staying in was occupied by seven people - himself included of course.

The aforementioned teen and his best friend looked back and forth between two sides, bearing witness to a one-side tension as Kawahira seemed perfectly fine and undaunted under Reborn's trigger-happy glare. (It was rare for something to get under the Sun Arcobaleno's skin, but then again, he was justifiable because the Man in the Iron hat had cursed his fate to begin with.)

Tsuna's gaze then landed on Bermuda, who, for reasons unknown to Tsuna, didn't seem to be in the mood to rip a certain not-human's head off (unlike Reborn over there).

 _... Did I miss something?_ Tsuna raised a brow at Enma, who sat next to him on the carpeted floor.

 _Maybe?_ Enma shrugged in return and lowered his voice to barely above a whisper, "I mean, I was told Bermuda and Kawahira had a ceasefire when I got there." He shot the brunet look. _They were drinking tea together._

"What are you guys being hush-hush about?" Byakuran decided he wanted in on the whispers and meaningful looks as he climbed over Enma's lap from the teen's left. "Can I join in on the whispering?"

"Byakuran, that's a stage whisper," Enma hissed lowly.

"Maa~ same diff!"

"No, stage whisper is when you intend for others to hear," Enma knocked the Mare on the head lightly. "Lower your voice."

"Enma-san..."

"Like this?" Byakuran blinked innocently.

"Lower." Enma cupped a hand next to his mouth and emphasized by lowering his hand along with his voice.

"Um..."

" _Like this_?" Byauran copied Enma's first gesture, but with both hands around his mouth.

" _Lower!_ "

"Byakuran..."

"I can't get any lower! Why don't you demonstrate for me?"

"Aren't I doing exactly that?"

"Guys..." Yuni finally, but quietly, managed to make her presence known to the off-track duo, pointing at a now unamused Reborn, a chuckling Kawahira, and a Bermuda who had to turn his head because he just couldn't bear to witness such absurd sight anymore. "They're watching us."

Tsuna faceplamed with a sigh, but patted a hand on Yuni's head, who just so happened to had climbed over Tsuna's lap from the right side in her attempts to get the attention of the previously whisper-failing duo. "Now _that's_ a whisper."

"... what?" Both Enma and Byakuran chorused in unison.

"Yuni's been trying to get both of your attentions for a whole minute," Tsuna deadpanned and gestured to the two Pacifier holders and one Administrator. "Without alerting the ones across from us."

"... oh." Was Enma's lame response.

"Ah," Compared to the one above, Byakuran had more to add to his one-syllable intonation. "Yuni-chan's good at this!"

"So..." Enma started slowly, clearing his throat to act professional as if their antics were just the fabrication of one's imagination. "Where were we?"

"... Nowhere," Reborn said flatly, refraining his eye from twitching. "We haven't even _start_ yet."

The redhead blinked, then laughed sheepishly. "Great, then it isn't exactly digressing when there's nothing to digress from!"

"Are you kids..." Bermuda actually hesitated. "Always like _this_?"

"Unfortunately," Tsuna sighed, flopping backwards onto the floor. "And don't you _dare_ pile on me, Shiro."

Byakuran paused when he was about to leave Enma's lap and planning to pounce the brunet.

"Stop being an imp," Enma snorted, ruffling the Mare's already messy hair.

"Hey!" Byakuran whined, trying to wiggle out of Enma's hold. "My hair!"

"It's already messy to begin with!" Enma jested back. "Tell the truth, have you even _tried_ to comb that nest of yours this morning?"

"I did!" Byakuran wailed back indignantly. "And Yuni-chan tried too! It doesn't stay tamed!"

Yuni nodded, tittering. "It's like Tsuna-san's!"

"Oi!" Tsuna retaliated, pushing himself up and leaning on his hands. "Don't drag my hair into this! If anything, we should question how Lambo managed to straighten his _dimensional_ - _afro_ so nicely. I mean, that space where he kept all of his weaponry is _gone_."

"That's a pity though," Byakuran tutted. "If my hair could do that, I could store as much marshmallow as I want! And it's more convenient too!"

"... That is _gross_ and you know it."

"They'll be kept sealed in bags, En-chan! It'll be germ-free!"

"You four are _hopeless_ ," Reborn sighed, deciding that they should be brought back before it was too late. (Reborn had to applaud them going from bickering over how to do a proper whisper to messy hairdo to hygiene in the span of just a few minutes.) "Why don't you all just go be comedians."

"Great idea, Reborn-kun!" was Byakuran's ecstatic reply, his eyes glittering. " _Ooo_ , I can see it now, the _Trinisette Quartet,_ brought to you by -"

" **No**." It was rejected by both Tsuna and Enma at the same time, with the same deadpan and crossed arms. (The gesture looked so practiced that it was as though it has been done _so_ many times - and probably have.)

Byakuran gasped dramatically, cuing the crocodile tears when he went crying over to Yuni - "THEY'RE MEANIES, YUNI-CHAN!" - which resulted the latter being bowled over becaus eshe expected as much from the hyperactive Mare and was, thereby, used to it. _That_ lead Tsuna to hastily catch them both before the two children hit their heads. However, at the same time, Enma had reacted on reflex, trying to seize Byakuran the moment he tackled Yuni, resulting in both him and Tsuna colliding into each other and - and they just seemed to end up in a human pile of limps for the world to see.

Tsuna groaned. "I thought this only happened to me in those times when I had that anxiety problem."

"That one where your guardians always end up dog-piling on top of you when they try to calm you down?" A chuckle escaped Enma's lips in spite of the uncomfortable angle of his leg.

"Yeah, that one." Tsuna answered, exasperated. "Now _get off_ , all of you!"

"Aye, captain!"

"Sorry, Tsuna-san..."

"Off we go."

"We're wasting time," Bermuda commented offhandedly as the quartet untangle from the mess they made of themselves.

"It's amusing to watch though," Kawahira smiled.

Reborn couldn't refrain from twitching this time. "Tsuna, Enma, Byakuran, Yuni."

All four pair of eyes directed their gazes at the hitman, sitting straight and giving him their rapt attention.

"..." Reborn declined to comment of their uniform behavior, because he didn't need this right now. (Though, any tension he had against Kawahira has completely dissipated by the end of this, replacing it with exasperation.) "We're hear to discuss what _Checkerface_ -" He hissed the name out "- is going to say."

"It's Kawahira," Said person corrected, but only earned a testy look from the infant.

"Alright," Tsuna clapped his hand, the sound diffusing whatever that was about to come between Reborn and Kawahira. "So, where do we start - _don't_ you dare say a word, Shiro. I know whatever you're about to say is irrelevant to this."

Byakuran closed his mouth and pouted.

"I suppose it's about time I start," Kawahira cleared his throat to get the attention back on him. "As you all have been informed in one way or another, Tsuna and Enma originated from a parallel world, transported here through external aid."

"Vongola Primo for me." Tsuna offered.

"Byakuran for me." Enma added.

" _But_ ," Byakuran chimed in. "In retrospect, it's the Trinisette that even allowed the possibility lest we want the repeat of Ghost."

"... figures," Tsuna mumbled with eyes closed, rubbing his temple. "I can draw a vague picture with what Enma told me a while back and the instability of the omnipresent Laws around us."

"This is more than a personal problem, that one is obvious." Sharp sunset-orange orbs bored into Kawahira's eyes the moment Tsuna reopened his. "The Tartarugas are tempting fate, aren't they?"

Kawahira nodded solemnly.

Tsuna clicked his tongue. "So bold."

"Bold, yes, but they're _succeeding_ ," Enma narrowed his eyes and pointedly ignored the raised brow Tsuna send his way.

"They're only bold because they have already _seen_ ," Kawahira chuckled a little, shaking his head. "The world of possibilities are crumbling under their tampering."

"But," Tsuna frowned. "Aren't we here to stop them from even _starting_?"

"Not exactly," Kawahira replied, pushing his specs up. "You can say we are in the past, and they are in the future."

"... this is getting paradoxical." Tsuna made a face and tried to make sense of what Kawahira said with the limited knowledge and experience he has with the horizontal time-axis.

"We're speaking about singularities, Tsu-chan," Byakuran was kind enough to help. "So you remember that little discussion?"

"Ah," Tsuna snapped his fingers, recalling from his memories of the time it was brought up. "Each parallel world is created from a singularity right?"

Singularity is a trait that distinguished parallel worlds apart, he remembered, an unexpected deviation. Consider a straight line, somewhere along, someone's action causes a deviation from what was once linear. That point in time where the change _first_ occurs becomes a singularity, branching out of the line into a whole new parallel world whose past derives from its mother branch and the cycle repeats (hence, why only the first unexpected deviation of each branch is considered a singularity, because it may seem as though the same past singularity is copied from the mother branch, but it's no longer categorized as a singularity.)

"Right!" Byakuran nodded. "So, what Kawahira means is for us - and by that, I mean you two - to create a singularity in the past to counteract the future."

"... Didn't you - or your parallel self - say that it's a bad thing to force a singularity?" Enma joined in, voicing his uncertainty. "You know, parallel world collisions and such." **[1]**

"You're _in_ your parallel selves' bodies," Byakuran smirked, tracing a circle in the air. "So the problem with native inhabitants is practically nonexistent. Singularities occur when one or more of the world's inhabitant decides to derive away from the script - the so-called 'what-if's', so you can move freely in your parallel selves' bodies and it'll be classified as a 'what-if' possibility by the principles of the horizontal time-axis."

Tsuna raised a brow. "So, our case, this is a 'what if Sawada Tsunayoshi and Kozato Enma is still alive'?"

"Bingo!"

"Just by being here," Yuni picked up. "Both of you have already created a singularity, a new future."

"A new future," Enma narrowed his eyes, lips curled into a contemplative frown. "I suppose we have to shape this new future ourselves?"

"Mm," Yuni nodded, brows furrowed in concern. "Right now, what my Mom and I see may be bright, but it's actually just a really huge, white canvas waiting to be colored."

"That's an interesting way to depict their roles," Kawahira chuckled. "Painters, who would've known."

Shaking his head at the silly though, Kawahira returned to the topic, "As Byakuran clarified, a singularity is a 'what-if'. So whatever happens originally, will still happen. _But_ -" He stressed "- this is where complications will arise. The originally future of this world, the beginning of the irregularity striking across all worlds, is still connected to this world."

"..." Tsuna and Enma blinked. He has just lost them.

"Trinisette is trying to making the impossible, possible," Kawahira elaborated. "It's attempting to replace the original future with the new one you will create."

"Okay..." Tsuna winced, his head hurting from trying to make sense of the complexity of space and time continuum. "That's destroying the singularity _and_ changing the future. That's trying to make the impossible possible alright."

"The Laws are wackier than _us_." Enma agreed with a offhanded remark, then shrugged. "Then again, they're never perfect to begin with."

Kawahira smiled, amused. "Yes, the Laws were never perfect, but they're trying to head in that direction. But as I was saying, the Tartarugas are the ones responsible for the instability we sense occasionally and the Trinisette wants you to stop them."

"So..." Tsuna quirked a brow, folding his arms. "It just couldn't be any other Tsuna or Enma doing this? I mean, there's plenty of ourselves in the Sea of Possibilities."

"No," Kawahira shook his head, a wry quirk of his lips. "If we have requested for anyone other than you two specifically, then the chances of changing anything is nigh impossible."

"Explain."

"Do you remember," Kawahira gazed at Tsuna. "The fight against the Millefiore in that never-meant-to-be-future?"

Tsuna send a look in the Mare's direction, successfully causing the latter to visible shrink under the gaze and scratch his head sheepishly. "I thought we were over this..."

"We are," Tsuna rolled his eyes. "But it was a bad memory."

"I only heard stories," Enma joined in with a laugh. "But really, Tsuna, only you would even _think_ of something as insane as allowing your past self take over the mafia war ten years later - and it _worked_. It was essentially a bet against the future but it worked!"

Tsuna groaned, a hand over his face - and he could sense Reborn shooting them a look, interest piqued. "Let's not talk about this okay?" He looked to Kawahira through the gaps of his fingers. "So, what does it have any relation to this?"

"Once you have eliminated Byakuran -" Tsuna's face visibly soured at even the mention "- from the future, it led to a complete _whitewash._ The influence Byakuran's parallel selves in their own worlds _reversed_ on itself - in other words, the destroyed worlds rewrote their futures."

Tsuna's eyes slowly widened with the implication in Kawahira's explanation. Didn't it mean they could apply the same situation here as well?

"But..." It still didn't answer the question though. "Why us especially? We failed to stop them in our world, what makes you - what makes the _Laws_ think we can do it this time around?"

"This is different, Tsu-chan," Byakuran smiled wryly. "It's exactly in the problem that the Tartarugas has no parallels."

"... pardon?" Tsuna blanked. "What do you mean by ' _no parallels'_?"

"They never showed themselves in our world and instead, manipulate others ," Enma elaborated solemnly, a sneer plastered to his face. "So is that the reason? They frickin' didn't have any parallel selves at their disposals? "

Kawahira lowered his gaze. "The Tartarugas is an anomaly that had appeared in this world and something unique in the Sea of Possibilities. Because of that uniqueness that no other world has, they are given the ability to traverse through the parallel worlds like a turtle through the sea."

"Okay," Tsuna nodded numbly, his hands drenched in cold sweat as they clenched into fists. "And putting _that_ aside temporarily, you think us to be the best options because...?" Because this was a huge task that they needed to shoulder, he needed to know what they saw in him and Enma to even _think_ of choosing them.

"Tempting fate... the future-never-meant-to-be... Vongola..." Enma muttered, brows furrowed, but the anger in his voice raised in s steady tempo as he continued to make connections with what he knew. "Does this have any relation to the reason why the Tartaruga is so set on destroying Vongola, destroying _Tsuna_ in their quest?"

" _What?!_ " Tsuna gaped.

Kawahira turned to the stunned brunet, but his silence on the matter was more than enough of an answer.

"You possess a similar attribute to Tartaruga's parallel-less. You were the first and last one to succeed out of infinite possible futures, Tsuna, because every future rewrote after the success." Rare respect flickered across his normally stoic gaze. "The moment you have changed to courses of _countless_ possibilities, you and your family have became a singularity unique in itself. _You_ are the core of that singularity, Sawada Tsunayoshi, known as the Singularity of Return."

Tsuna could only stared with eyes dilated.

"The Trinisette is gambling on your very presence, be it physically or spiritually, and your very actions to allow for the return of stability, for the futures to rewrite once again."

The brunet ran a hand through his spiky brown hair, letting out a shaky breath. This was too ground-breaking of a concept even for him to take in. He didn't think anyone would take it any better if they were told their very existence had rewrote infinite amount of futures - and that they were chancing _just that_.

"Then... Enma?" Tsuna's gaze returned to the Administrator.

The redhead looked to Kawahira as well, expecting him to explain his invitation to this world when it sounded as though Tsuna was enough.

"Enma is the embodiment of another Singularity as well," Kawahira explained, smiling through the duo's incredulity. "The Singularity of Reconnection. The Simons have been completely erased under Byakuran's influence -" this time, Enma send a reproaching glare in the Mare's direction "- so the moment the futures were rewritten, reconnections occurred. Matters unsettled in the past arise to only write about an end."

"It's not as unique as you or the Tartaruga," Kawahira continued after a pause. "But it is a necessary singularity for what Trinisette is attempting - and it would be best if he is from the same origin as you, Tsuna."

"... well," Enma was the first to speak that that brief respite. "That's just _peachy_." He turned unamsuedly towards his best friend. "Summarizing it up, you _still_ managed to drag me down with you one way or another."

"...!" Tsuna spluttered incoherently with indignation.

"Birds!" Byakuran piped with his hands in the air and as if to emphasize, he sprouted wings.

"Birds..." Enma muttered unintelligible curses under his breath about how the avian race shouldn't be allowed to exist. "Anywho, putting hope on a miracle huh."

"That sounds too unreliable," Reborn finally entered the conversation having been out of the loop for the previous one. "Trinisette is placing a bet on something that might not even happen."

"Well," Kawahira titled his head, gesturing to Tsuna with a flourish of his hand. "We have a miracle worker right in front of us."

"Kawahira..."

"I know it's a lot to ask," The Administrator lowered his gaze with a visible dip of his head. "But I hope you'll accept this task."

Reborn and Bermuda both turned towards the man, stunned of his action.

"... It's not like you to lower your head, Uncle Kawahira," Tsuna chuckled, acquiescing with reality of the situation.

The man looked up, staring for several stunned seconds before eliciting a chuckle of his own. _So this is the one who have changed the views of my other self._

"I suppose not. I have my principles as the Administrator who carries out the Will of Trinisette, but what I have seen of your world via the Trinisette has me learning to be more human." He shook his head, eyes in a faraway place. "I suppose I'm starting to understand Sepira's view of the human world."

He blinked, and he was back to the present. "But I digress."

The Trinisette quartet shared grins at the underlying jest while Bermuda and Reborn snorted dismissively.

"Alright," Tsuna clapped his hands together. "Let's talk practical."

"We -" The brunet pointed to himself and Enma "- are here to pave way to a new future and hopefully, that'll rewrite the old."

He paused, brows furrowing before sending an inquiring look towards the redhead. Te latter getting the message when he duly inputted, "The Tartaruga Famiglia intends to tamper with the Laws by eliminating Vongola - or, to be exact, you and your family, Tsuna."

"..." The brunet frown deeper. "Right, that. Are they trying to wipe out a base of the Trinisette?"

"No," Enma shook his head, pursing his lips. "They'll come after you even if you're not a Vongola."

"Which is impossible as of yet," Kawahira pitched in. "As far as I gathered from the information that Trinisette has given me in preparation of this situation, no parallel world has yet to have Tsunayoshi _not_ be a part of Vongola. In fact, Holders of the Sky and Earth has never strayed from you kids in your generation."

"I gather after the rewrite," Byakuran's eyes slit open, serious for once. "The parallel worlds used Tsunayoshi as their base for construction, which, consequently affected our parallel selves' fate as well. His world _is_ the most stable out of all parallel worlds after my work of art."

"Okay," Tsuna's eye twitched. "What the hell, that's... _no_."

"You can't deny that it's kind impressive," Reborn admitted and regarded the brunet with a smirk. "How you're the blueprint for your parallel selves."

Tsuna groaned.

"That's how they'll change parallel fates," Kawahira said softly. "You are the Singularity of Return and adding on the fact that you're the blueprint - the very foundation - for the countless futures, it's obvious how they'll approach this."

"How do they even _know_?!"

"Erm..." Byakuran raised his hand meekly. "I might have an idea."

"..." Tsuna stared at the Mare for a long while before his eyes directed themselves at the latter's barehand -

Oh.

 _OH_.

\- and Tsuna smiled sugary-sweetly at a sweating Byakuran. "Give me one reason why I shouldn't strangle the hell out of you."

"Um..." The Sky Mare backed away from the impending doom and hid behind Yuni. "I... I didn't mean it...?"

"Tsuna?" Enma raised a brow at the danger emitting from the brunet that had _everyone_ in the room edging away. (Reborn and Bermuda refrained from showing anything barring a small chill.)

"Mare Sky Ring."

"What does -" Enma paused, blinking at the sudden though that struck him. "You mean -"

"Yeah."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"Was it -"

"Most likely."

Enma directed the same smile at Byakuran, making the latter's hair stand on end.

" **Bya. Ku. _Ran_.** " Both Enma and Tsuna synced their deadly tones together to create poison, causing Byakuran to visibly gulp and shrink further behind Yuni.

"Tell me," Tsuna narrowed his eyes. "How are they even able to access your power through the rings _when you're the chosen Holder_?"

"Um..." Byakuran was sweating bullets, looking anywhere but the two dark teens. "I... I don't know."

At the skeptical looks, he jumped out of his hiding spot and exclaimed despairingly, "I really don't know! He - that Tartaruga Itzal doesn't have a parallel self anywhere so I really, _really_ don't know! All I know is that he exists and - and that the rings were taken before they were even given to me! I told you that he's a weirdo, but everyone just brush it -"

" _Shiro_ ," Tsuna stopped the boy from jumping up and down in distress. He supposed he should feel guilty for pushing the Mare, he was still a child after all. "We understand what you're trying to say. Sorry for frustrating you."

He patted the teary-eyed child on the head. "Really."

"T-Tsu-chan..." Byakuran sniffled.

"Crybaby," Enma rolled his eyes, but there was only helplessness on his face as he made his way over to help wipe away the child's tears before they fell. "I don't know which is worse, a kid Byakuran or a grown up Byakuran."

"Byakuran is Byakuran," Yuni chimed in, linking her tiny hand with said Mare's.

"Right," Tsuna chuckled, but then frowned. "Something else is bothering me though. _How_ did the Tartaruga came about?"

"That is yet to be observed," Kawahira shook his head with a sigh. "They are an anomaly born in this world, yet they are not classified as a Singularity."

"... They're not supposed to exist." Reborn gathered.

"That would be why they don't have parallel selves, yes," Kawahira nodded in response. "Although there are some cases where a person does not exist in one parallel, but still dwell in many others. This, however, does not apply to them."

"They exist when they cannot," Yuni said softly, sorrow traveled across her eyes. "But they're risking that very existence of theirs to challenge the parallel fates instead of valuing it."

"It's easy to be fueled by ambition," Kawahira added with a sigh. "However, just by changing parallel fates would bring a catastrophic collapse to the existing system."

"Oh," Tsuna grimaced. "Yes, _that_. If we go along with the idea that Tartaruga is taking away a leg of the base that keeps the Laws in balance, then the Laws as we know it will very well collapse."

"What I don't understand," Tsuna turned towards both Kawahira and Bermuda. "Is why they needed to capture you two and the Simons."

"That," The Administrator pushed his glasses up, his expression somber. "Would be -"

"KOZATO ENMA, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"

Tsuna blinked.

Enma grimaced.

"Oh... They woke up."

"... I wish you'd dosed them with more Rain flames to make them sleep longer."

* * *

Suzuki Adelheid was just a little beyond pissed - if not a bit worried.

When they have been forced into those warp holes that the Vindice Head make, sending them _away_ from Enma and into... into _Vongola territory_ of all places.

 **"I _knew_ there was a reason why my Intuition told me to wait a bit longer." **

They had stared blankly at first upon stepping into fresh air, beyond flabbergasted by what Enma had just done - because it was _so_ unlike him and... and she still remembered the last expression on the boy's face.

It was the same lopsided curve as the one who stood in front of them.

 **"So," The brunet quirked his lips. His bearing was similar to Enma's, Suzuki noticed, if not more just a tad bit dangerous at the moment. "Where's the idiot?"**

 **Even if it was a bit vague, Suzuki was still able to understand who he was talking about - and she couldn't agree more with the descriptive noun.**

 **However -**

 **"How do you know him?"**

 **\- her eyes narrowed, her framed tensed as she stood protectively in front of her group.**

 **The boy regarded her -** _**them** _**for a few seconds, amusement flickered across his sunset-orange eyes. "We're friends, obviously."**

 **" _Siblings_." Another voice corrected, causing Suzuki and her group to jump in surprise. Only then did they realize that the brunet wasn't alone, it was just that his aura concealed the others by attracting all of the attention.**

 **"Sworn brothers," The brunet agreed with the child besides him, his gaze not dwelling on the latter for long before he turned back to Suzuki. They were one of welcome, unlike before. "So you don't have to put up a guard against us."**

 **"You expect us to trust you just like that?" Katou Julie scoffed. "We're not as naive as those with the same age as us."**

 **"Whether you trust me or not," The brunet spoke coolly. "It doesn't change the fact you're here and _will_ be staying here until Enma comes back."**

 **"En-nii... will come here?" Mami asked hesitantly and for some reason, the brunet stared blankly at her. It made her fidget and regret ever speaking up.**

 **Suzuki made to step in front of Mami, intercepting the brunet's concentrated gaze. "Don't get any funny ideas."**

 **"Wha..." He spluttered incredulously while the child next to him started laughing. He looked between the laughing child to Suzuki to Mami who hide behind the older girl, and groaned helplessly. "That wasn't my intention, Suzuki-san."**

 **"... How do you know my name?" She tensed, slowly taking out her metal fan. "I'm pretty sure I've never met you before."**

 **The teen quirked a brow, a strange look flickered across his eyes before he closed them in favor of pinching the bridge of his nose, never looking so _old_ for his age. "Enma told me about you guys."**

 **Before any of them could speak up, his eyes fluttered open again and that look disappeared. "I am Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna. Also, you're on Vongola territory."**

 **Her family and her blinked. They _what_?!**

 **"Yes, Vongola," He smiled in amusement. "And I'm guessing it was Bermuda-san who send you guys over. He _was_ captured after all, so it would make sense Enma encountering him."**

 **"Well," Suzuki decided. "Even if it's _that_ Vongola, we need to go back."**

 **Tsuna frown disapprovingly. "You can't."**

 **"You can't stop us," Aoba Koyo curled his lips, sizing the brunet up. "Not with that scrawny body of yours."**

 **"Enma needs our help too," Mizuno Kaoru spoke up. "We can't let him be the bait to stall time!"**

 **"Oh?" Tsuna raised a brow, his lips turning the opposite way into a strange smile. "So, tell me, how does that feel, to be left alive because of a family's sacrifive?"**

 **The Simons were struck dumb by the curve ball of a question and it only caused Tsuna to step towards them with a dangerous edge to his eyes.**

 **"Horrible, right?" Tsuna stopped a foot in front of them. "Enma felt that _far_ more times than you could ever imagine."**

 **"That's even more of a reason for us to go back!"**

 **"No, that's more of a reason for you guys to _stay_ ," Tsuna said coolly, his gaze impassive. "Don't cause him any more trouble by being reckless."**

She remembered them protesting vehemently after that comment, which only resulted in a sigh from the brunet and... well, they felt their energy slipping from them in the next second, eyes fighting to stay open as they collapse onto the ground in quick succession.

The last thing Suzuki remembered hearing was -

 **"By the time you guys wake up, Enma will have come back _._ "**

\- so when she did wake up in an unfamiliar room, there was a moment of quietude where her gears kicked back up, then she was demanding for Enma.

(The conviction that boy spoke with was enough for Suzuki to believe in his words.)

She had also unintentionally woken up the others in the process, who were also in the same room (the infirmary, she would soon find out), but she didn't give a flying care.

And so started the hun - search. (It didn't help that many of the workers in the mansion didn't speak Japanese though.)

* * *

Coyote was, without a doubt, getting older _by the minute_ with all that was happening as of late.

Reborn, the demon-spawn that he was, dropped _Bermuda_ of all people _not_ good and holy on him (not literally, of course, that wouldn't paint a good picture _at all_ ) last night and left him to... to make _accommodations_ for the Vindice's stay in the mansion for an _indefinite_ time.

(There goes his sleep for that night.)

Why the _Vindice_ decided to stay in Vongola was beyond him, but he wasn't looking forward to waking up to the cold presence of something akin to Death every morning. He has no doubt that the others would think of the same.

In fact, he could already imaged the therapy the workers in the mansion will have to go through in the too-near future.

He haven't adjusted to having so many _kids_ in the mansion either. Especially not after Ienari and his guardians came back carrying seven more in tow with Tsunayoshi informing him that they're Enma's family, which implied they were the _Simon famigila_.

So he was not amused when the an earth-shaking scream filled the air in what was supposed to be a peaceful morning. (At least let him drink his goddamn coffee in quietude!)

"What... was that?"

Coyote looked over to the man in front of him, feeling another migraine coming on but answered nonetheless. "Kids." (He reminded himself that he must stay professional with Timoteo in the room.)

"I don't recall that voice that." Iemitsu frowned. "And Chrome would never raise her voice like that."

"You sound like you know the kids well enough even if you aren't their father," Coyote bit back with sarcasm while still keeping his composure in good form.

"Of course I do -" Iemitsu suddenly paused in his retort, going silent.

Coyote restrained from sneering, the man across from him may be his comrade, but that does not mean he approved of his past behavior - especially after yesterday's events. (Plus, he was cranky.) "Honestly, Iemitsu, I don't know how you do it."

"Coyote," Timoteo send an admonishing look towards the Storm. He was sitting against the headboard of the bed that was keeping Coyote and Iemitsu apart.

He grunted, but acquiesced and changed the topic. "It's probably the Simon Family causing the ruckus, they arrived last evening - though unconscious thanks to Tsunayoshi." (He had to admit that there was a twinge of satisfaction in seeing Iemitsu flinch at the name.)

"The Simons?" Timoteo widened his eyes in surprise. "They're...?"

"Yes," Coyote went over what he was given by Reborn. "They exist, though it would seem that they're in the danger of dying out. I have yet to get acquainted with the Decimo in their famiglia, but I have heard that he's a good friend of Tsunayoshi."

"RUN, EN-CHAN, RUN LIKE THE WIND!"

" _EN-CHAN?!_ "

" _SHUT UP_ , BYAKURAN!"

"..." Coyote sighed after he heard the distant stampede. "Apparently, associated with the Gesso Don as well."

"A lively bunch," Timoteo commented with amusement.

"Bold as well," The Storm clicked his tongue in a mix of respect and disapproval. "Kozato Enma used himself as bait to save his family from the Tartaruga's grasp."

"That is reckless," Timoteo couldn't help but frown. "Are they alright?"

"Enma's guardians are malnourished, but other than that, they seemed unharmed." Coyote reported what had occurred last night. "Enma, however, received a few wounds on the return _and_ from Tsunayoshi."

Vongola Nono raised a brow at the last bit.

"Don't ask me," His Storm deadpanned. "I don't know what goes through those kids' heads."

"Eh...?" Came the groggily voice of one Sawada Ienari just a few rooms down. "What are you guys - W-WHAT ARE THE VINDICE DOING HERE?!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

Both Iemitsu and Timoteo looked wordlessly to Coyote, who kept his faze schooled in a deadpan. (Coyote was _so_ done with this.)

"Coyote...?" Timoteo asked uncertainly. He had felt better after a good night's rest and had planned to go for a stroll to stretch his stiff muscles, but... he was having second thoughts. It sounded too dangerous outside of this room.

"... That was what I was going to report next," Coyote answered with a twitch. "Reborn had dropped by my office with the Vindice Head and an acquaintance of his and left me to handle the their accommodation." He looked at his Sky powerlessly. "I couldn't say no."

Timoteo wordlessly gave a supportive pat on Coyote's shoulder, after all, it was the _Vindice_ (The schadenfreude side of him though, was cheering that it was Coyote who had to deal with that instead of him.)

The Storm sighed and tried to look on the bright side. "At least the rest of the guardians are coming back today."

There was a knock on the door and everyone turned as it opened.

"G'morning," greeted one Sawada Tsunayoshi with his younger twin in tow. "Sorry for the ruckus just now."

"It's... fine," Timoteo heaved a sigh. "Reborn did say it's not going to be peaceful in the near future."

"True," The brunet leaned against the door frame while Ienari stumbled in, still in a daze. (Coyote deduced that it was still from meeting a member of the Vindice.) "But it's better than the dreary atmosphere that has been plaguing the mansion before, right?"

"I don't think the Vindice is any better," Coyote decided to offer his two cent's worth.

Tsuna blinked, then laughed. "Right, Bermuda-san said they'll be moving about occasionally, so don't be startled when you meet one just around the corner."

More than one person quirked a brow at how at ease the brunet seemed to be when he spoke the Vindice Head's given name.

"O-Onii..." Ienari seemed to have finally snapped out of it. "That sounds like a _horror movie_."

"Reborn haven't forced you to watch enough of those?" Tsuna raised a brow towards his brother, whose mind was slow to give an answer.

"... No?"

The brunet grinned too brightly, a glint of mischief in his eyes that caused Ienari's hair to stand on ends.

"O-Onii...?" He was getting an awfully familiar dread crawling down his spine.

"Mm?" The glint had disappear as quick as it came but that dread was definitely not Ienari's imagination.

Coyote watched as the elder twin flicked the young on the forehead, giving what appeared to be another lecture on being alert. He couldn't help raising a brow at the interaction, and he could see Timoteo was doing the same from the corner of his eyes.

He didn't expect Ienari to listen intently to the older teen's words as if etching them into memory either, but then again, the appointed Vongola Decimo has changed quite a bit over the last few months that they have seen of him - as the same goes to the Decimo's guardians as well.

They were starting to get a gist of how.

"Also," Tsuna transited, his gaze traveling to a silent Iemitsu. "I think you were given enough time to think things through?"

Reading the mood, Coyote was sensible enough to excuse himself from the family matters of the Vongola blood.

Though, he wasn't exactly too happy to be leave his Sky's soothing warmth and into the not-so-peaceful mansion.

(How he missed the good ol' days.)

.

.

.

Iemitsu didn't know how to describe the feelings he had towards his eldest, much less put them into words.

Complicated, was what he summed up, because on one hand, he understood the message Tsuna had given him. But on the other, it wasn't easy to let go of an something he had been obsessed over for _years_.

He knew he was juvenile, pretentious even, for trying to compare himself with his ancestor when he knew that he shouldn't, and he knew his limits.

"You know," He started long after Coyote had considerately closed the door once he left. "He was my hero once upon a time."

He saw the brow raised on his eldest and the tilt of his head. It was a random place to start, to be honest, but... he regarded the patience in Tsuna's eyes, then at his adopted father's encouraging gaze, and heaved a breath.

Maybe... _just maybe_ that smothering feeling in his chest will leave him be once he talk it out.

So, he did just that, pouring out his thoughts and emotions. (It did also helped that there were two experienced Skies soothing his once constantly suppressed agitated flames .)

"In the back of my mind, I know it's silly," Iemitsu finished with a dry laugh. "But I couldn't help it. There were times I wished I had his strength, his resolve, his knowledge to begin with. Maybe that could've changed my parents', your grandfather and grandfather, fate y'know? I could've save those I couldn't."

At the last word, he was somewhat surprised that he did, indeed feel a lot lighter. It was as if whatever that had plague him for years had vanished.

"..." Tsuna lowered his gaze, remaining silent, though he was playing with the pocket watch he had taken out.

"Dad..." Ienari was torn between staying by his brother's side and going over to comfort his old man.

"I never knew," Timoteo spoke softly, grabbing Iemitsu's shoulder gently yet firmly. "That it has affected you in that way."

Iemitsu shook his head. "I know you admire Primo as well, Nono, in a good sense, so I couldn't really reveal this to you."

"Perhaps I have spoken about him in too much light," Timoteo sighed. "The mafia is a dark place after all."

"I suppose so," Iemitsu ended wryly, he then stood up and faced the taciturn brunet. "I... know it'll never make up for my behavior, but I'm sorry, Tsunayoshi." He lowered his head, bowing at a ninety degree angle. "You're my son, and I should've _never_ tried to antagonize you just because of your appearance."

He then hesitated in his next set of words. "I... I'll try to be a better father to you - that is, if you're willing to have me as one."

"..."

Ienari stolen a glance his brother, the latter had his eyes shadowed by his bangs. "Onii...?"

Tsuna opened his mouth, then closed it, biting his lower lip before giving in to a sigh. A sigh that filled with _so_ much yet meant nothing at the same time.

He looked up, his gaze unfathomable as he looked between Ienari and Iemitsu. "You don't need to say that to me." (Because he wasn't Tsunayoshi.)

The ones in the room were thrown off by the statement, but Tsuna didn't pay attention. His gaze was focused back on the frozen hands on his pocket watch again. "Because once a family, always a family, ne?"

Ienari followed Tsuna's gaze and wondered why the latter had kept a broken pocket watch with him, and why he seemed to be talking to it.

"Onii -" He stopped abruptly when he grabbed Tsuna's shoulder and turning him without much resistance from the other. "... You're crying."

Indeed, there were tears threatening to fall from Tsuna's eyes the moment he turned.

"I... no - it's not -" Tsuna raised a hand to wipe the tears away before the waterworks could start. How was he to explain that it wasn't him? Tsunayoshi was a sensitive child since birth because of his strong Sky flames. He was aware of his father's cold shoulders even if the man didn't openly show it. Iemitsu still showered Tsunayoshi with what a father should, but he knew, somehow, he just knew that his father didn't acknowledge him.

So even if Tsunayoshi had left, his memories, his emotions lingered in the body. Along with his wish of making his mother and brother happy, Tsunayoshi was still waiting for that single acknowledgement from his father.

He hadn't anticipated for Tsunayoshi's yearnings to be so strong when he felt the involuntary tremble his body gave, of an emotion not his - and honestly? Tsuna didn't know what to do. Tsunayoshi was _gone_ and - and he had _no right_ to take his place to accept Iemitsu's apology. (He had a father of his own, and far more caring than this one will ever be no matter how bad he was at it.) And - and _oh god_ , he couldn't picture how they would feel if -

If it hadn't been for that soothing wave of warmth coursing through to calm him down, Tsuna would've been so _lost._

It was thanks to that that Tsuna remembered what was once told to him in that ever-so distant past.

( ** _The grin that diffused any kind of tension, soothe any kind of ache, stretched across his face as he ruffled the tuft of messy brown hair. "Once a family, always a family, Tsuna. No matter what, when, or where."_** )

Tsuna let out a shaking breath, taking Ienari's hand off and schooled his expression to something calmer - more impassive.

It unsettled the other three how quickly (and flawlessly) Tsuna had masked his expression.

"So yes, I'm willing to have you as my father," Tsuna said, voice still a little strain from the uncontrollable spike of emotions. "Right now, it may only be because we're bond by blood, but maybe, in the future, you wouldn't see the role as an obligation."

His gaze bored into Iemitsu. "I know it's hard to change, that's what baby steps are for." He patted a hand over Ienari's head, catching the latter by surprise. "Like how Ienari have made his baby steps towards who he is now and who he will be in the future."

"... Eh?" Ienari blinked. "I - I did?"

Tsuna raised a brow, amusement played on his lips. "Of course you did, Ienari. You might not see it but others who watches over you do."

"You have become more open, Nari," Timoteo agreed with a praising look. "And more caring too."

"See?" Tsuna chuckled, ruffling his younger twin's hair. "And don't you dare go losing it too. It's hard enough pulling you back up."

"But -" Ienari took a moment to swat away the brunet's offending hand. "I thought... I thought a mafia is suppose to be... y'know, high and mighty."

Tsuna was the first to scoff. "That's conceit, Ienari, it's not even true arrogance."

"... what's the difference?"

Tsuna raised another brow and suddenly, he surprised the occupants of the room with the sudden change of air around him.

"By the definition, Ienari, conceit is having excessive pride." A lazy smirk with an edge of amusement lingering around the corner as if there was source of entertainment in front of him, yet the confidence presented in the smirk showed that nothing can escape him. His eyes sharp but humble, yet he looked down upon the world with the unadulterated power and authority in the air around him. "It's vain and can often blind your judgment."

His voice was reigning control, and expected attention.

"Arrogance, _true arrogance_ ,however..." He tilted his head lazily, his frame without guard, yet at the same time, there was no opening. " _Builds_ from pride. It's when you can be superior because you have what to takes to back it up, and _everyone knows it_."

Tsuna's eyes gauged those around him and he grinned, successfully diffuse whatever he had before in a matter of seconds. He knocked at Ienari's chest, the latter stumbled back without resistance.

"The most important thing to remember is what you place as your pride." Tsuna placed a hand over his heart, a soft smile on his lips. "Because that's what you want to protect and fight for the most."

"Tsuna..." Ienari used a different address this time as he looked at Tsuna with mixed emotions, as did the two adults in the room.

"I know," The brunet chuckled, understanding what they were thinking. After all, how could a mere child who has been a comatose civilian until months prior achieve that kind of bearing? "Three months... huh..."

Ienari had the urge to stop Tsuna from wearing that faraway gaze of his, because he stopped being his brother in those times. "You - you don't have to say anything."

"Ienari...?"

"Really, you don't!" Ienari didn't know what came over him, but he just didn't want - "I don't want to hear it anyways!"

Tsuna pinned Ienari with a long, hard look causing the latter the fidget uncomfortably. However, that all dispelled when a hand was placed on top of his head.

Ienari heard a sigh and the weigh disappeared. He watched as Tsuna walked towards the door. "Onii...?"

"I'll indulge you for now, _Otouto,_ " Tsuna said, pausing and looking over his shoulder, his sunset-orange eyes had seen through the denial that Ienari didn't want to admit existed. "But remember, don't make a habit of ignoring your Intuition. You'll have to face it sooner or later."

And he was gone through the door.

"Nari..." Timoteo looked at the boy in mild confusion. "What does -"

"Nothing!" Ienari exclaimed, but then berated himself from rising his voice at his grandfather. "Nothing grandpa, Onii is just like that."

"..." Iemitsu had been silent the entire time, his expression unreadable.

"D-Dad..." Ienari didn't like the man's silence. "Dad, Onii is -"

"I know," The blonde man cut in, smiling all too wearily. "I'm not even half a person that Tsuna is, so I have no right to judge him in anyway."

"Still," He sighed. "He is... everything they say about Giotto. Even I have a hard time accepting myself when he does it so easily."

"..." Ienari clenched his hand with his other, trying to ignore the existence of the metallic ring on his finger despite the flashback to the glow yesterday.

He had avoided it once, but what about a second? Or a third? Or a fourth?

Ienari didn't know, and he wished he has never been so _aware_.

* * *

Enma'd noticed it for a while now as he got an earful from a livid Suzuki, with an occasionally remark from his other guardians.

Despite them trying hard not to show it, it didn't escape from Enma how their gazes were mixed with a foreign respect, how their speech was restrained, how their actions never crossed that invisible line between a subordinate and his boss.

Really, Enma thought wryly, whether they were doing it unconsciously or not, it would never escape his eyes. They were, after all, his family.

Even as of now, he could see how Suzuki refrained from cursing as she yelled at him and how she refrained from assaulting him - not even attempting to grab him by the shirt like she does on several occasions in the past.

And he knew the reason for it. Granted, he didn't attempt to hide it before, but he didn't expect them to be so keen -

"... do that again and I will make sure you regret the day you're born!"

"Won't ever happen again," Enma gave a lopped smile, his hands raised in the air. "Promise."

\- Even if he knew though, it didn't mean anything if his family continues to keep a distance -

Suzuki scoffed, skepticism written all over her face as she folded her arms across her chest. "As if I'll take your -"

She was enveloped in a hug before she could finished.

\- But really, Enma knew them better. They were hesitant to take that first step towards the unknown, fearing what they would find (because surely, Enma knew, they would definitely mourn) -

"As long as you guys are with me, I'll never do it again."

\- so if they don't take that step towards him, then Enma will do it for them.

"We're family, aren't we?" The redhead laughed at the stunned look on the Glacier's face before looking at everyone else and gestured for them to join in. "So don't take me for granted. _Please?_ " _Even if I'm not the same, please don't leave._

"En-nii..." Mami was the first of the group to tackle Enma, tears in her eyes. "I won't! I won't, never ever, _ever_ again!"

Following her was Aoba, then Katou, after that was Mizuno and Ooyama, and lastly, Shitt-p.

Enma, Suzuki, and Mami toppled over with the added momentum, all of them ending up on the ground. There was a pause before they all burst out laughing like they once did once upon a time.

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **[1] The concept can be found in my other KHR fic. I'm not trying to advertise, I'm just too lazy to have to explain _that_ again.**

 **I'm... sprouting nonsense about parallel worlds and singularities _But_ , I find the whole parallel futures rewriting somewhat interesting. So, if the whole fight against Byakuran didn't happen to any other parallel worlds but the cannon, doesn't that mean cannon Vongola has a stronger foundation out of all of its parallel selves'? I mean, only cannon characters will have memories regarding anything about that future-never-meant-to-be so... compared to their parallel selves, they should be more... _mature_ \- or so to speak, they have gained more battle experience, a better developed mentality over something that would never happen to their parallel versions. Am I making sense? I don't really know how to express it. **

**So yeah... this happened.**

 **Also, people are becoming** **aware of Tsuna and Enma's abnormality - mainly because the duo aren't planning to hide when they got to Italy. There is a glaring difference between Enma and Tsuna's situations though, Enma's family accepting the change (though they only're aware that Enma changed, they aren't aware of the switch yet) while Ienari's in another denial (while starting to become aware that Tsuna wasn't Tsuna anymore) because he feared the worse to happen once he knew. Ienari's still learning, guys, so cut him some slack.**

 **Lastly... I'm finding it weird that many of you say I finally updated or something similar in the last chapter or two.. or three. I mean, I have been more frequent in updating (starting with CH 38) and this would make the fifth chapter in the last a month and a half compared to half a year ago o-o. So yeah... I'm just saying this because... because no one seems to... notice my increase in updates? I don't know, but hey, I'm updating! :)**

 **So, happy reading! ~ヾ(＾∇＾)**


	43. Awareness (2)

**Disclaimer: I do not own KHR.**

* * *

 **Summary:** When Tsuna's pride - his family - shattered, there really weren't anymore reasons for him to be the all-encompassing Sky. But when he was given another chance, to protect them once more, he didn't hesitate - even if it's in another parallel world where he is no longer Vongola Decimo but his twin brother, his Elements no longer his but his brother's... and Vongola is falling (quite literally in terms of ranks).

* * *

Kawahira stared absentmindedly at his hand. He has, admittedly, never felt so _weak and vulnerable_ since he was but a child all those eons ago.

He was born knowing the purpose to his and his kind's existence and the weight that they must bear on their shoulders. Protecting the planet was their duty and carrying out the Will, to maintain the balance of Trinisette until their last breath, was their sole purpose of existence.

(It was engraved deeply in their memories - a hereditary trait gifted by the Laws.)

There were times when he felt helpless against Fate, when he felt fear for his stone-carved future, when he felt the _weight of the world_ on his too small shoulders. But he was taught to push on, to move forward - because that's the only way for them to continue into the future.

However, pushing on does not mean his race will thrive forever. The once powerful race weakened through the passage of time, and with it, the strength to keep Trinisette in balance.

He watched his kins, his friends and family, fall one by one until there were only five, then two, and then only he was left behind.

Time dull the senses they say, but he would be lying if he said he didn't feel anything every time he watched his companions leave the living - leave _him -_ but he knew they existed only for one sole purpose.

Dying only meant they had fulfilled that purpose with their lives.

Kawahira clenched his fist, face impassive but indescribable emotions swirled with his eyes. Death, he mused, was something not foreign to him - yet, at the same time, it is as foreign as it should be to the living. He has seen the phantom take countless lives from the living, but he has yet to experience it himself.

He has witness humans' fear of dying, but he has also seen his kin's peaceful smile upon the end of their lives as if welcoming Death's embrace at the journey's end. Perhaps, for them, it was a solace because they were relieved from the shackles that bounded them since their birth.

He often wished he could join them as well, but his fate was not his to decide, his role has not yet end. As the last of his race, he must continue moving forward. Watch as the world change, as countless eras of Man rise and fall, and continue to fulfill the purpose of his existence - to carry out the Will of Trinisette.

"Uncle Kawahira?"

The Administrator looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Tsuna."

He regarded the child for just a moment. It was in those images that Trinisette allowed him to view, due to the world's predicament, that brought a human emotion that he thought didn't existed in him.

He had accepted his fate the day he was born, but seeing the child in those memories-not-his and now right in front of him, he saw...

 _Hope._

He had admired the boy's resolve and marveled at the his creativity for finding something he himself couldn't.

"Did you know?" Kawahira looked back to the scene before him, the trees lining in the distance, the city behind, and the encompassing sky above in the horizon. "I never did come to terms with sacrificing the lives of humans to maintain the balance of the Laws."

Tsuna walked up next to him, resting his chin on his folded farms as he reclined his upper body against the railing. "I doubt it was because of pity for mankind."

"You know my other self well," Kawahira chuckled with mirth. "But yes, that was the last thing on my mind... unlike Sepira."

Tsuna turned his head to the Administrator, silently waiting for the latter to continue his abrupt tale.

"You should know," Kawahira continued. "That it's my race's duty to maintain the balance - has been since eons past."

He had always felt stifled in the chest, but he never did share the story that was kept inside him for so long, thinking that it would never see the light of day. However, when he saw Tsuna, it all started to spill out. (The warm comfort of an all-encompassing Sky affected even him.)

However, he asks not for sympathy, but for a lend ear - so that someone out there will _know_.

"I was never comfortable with human sacrifices if only because _their_ efforts through the eons, their _sacrifices_ , would've been in vain if the Will was handed over to another specie."

"... It's your pride, isn't it?" Tsuna said softly but with assurance, the story sounding ever familiar to him.

"Yes," Kawahira smiled ever-so distantly. "My race, our purpose for existing is my pride, and - if you'll excuse my language - I would be damned if I let any other specie trample over what is _ours -_ what defined ourvery being."

If he were to let that happen, their blood and sweat, their heritage, their very existence, never known to Man, would've been all but tarnished and _drowned deep_ in Lethe - the River of Forgetfulness.

"If I were to let that happen, _nothing_ will be left that proved we even existed," Kawahira tilted his head up, eyes blinking closed to hide the chaotic emotions stirring within and prevent memories long past from evoking his tears long dried through the test of time.

So it was up to him, it was his duty to watch over the Trinisette as the rest of his kins had done - and he _will_ use whatever means necessary to do so.

"So..." He held out his hand, his Mist flames (strongest known to Man) danced on his palm before a familiar mask appeared before him. "I wear a mask, the identity you humans known as Chekcerface, to gather the Strongest Seven for the Curse I created. Because only then would I not hesitate to use humans despite it going against my principles."

A mask allows him to hide his real self, to hide the fact that he was a coward for not being able to face it head on.

"... I tried looking for other alternatives, a long-term one, because there is no guarantee that mankind may produce wielders with strong enough flames required to support the balance at any given time," He fiddled with the mask in his hand for a moment longer before willing it to disappear in purple mists. "Besides, at the end of the day, I am no immortal no matter how long I have lived for. But the more I searched, the bleaker it appears - the future that my kins strive for seem dark."

"Do you hate?" Tsuna asked softly, the breeze caressing his hair. "How everything was taken from you?"

"... Many times," Kawahira answered truthfully after a pause. "We've roamed the Earth for eons past -"

His eyes shifted to the view ahead, glazed with the too far of a distant past. For far too long had he lived, for far too long had he roamed on that endless road that was becoming all the more bleak.

"- We've protected the Land with our lives -"

His hand tightened a hold on the balustrade in front of him. They were the Earth's guardians, they have a duty to watch as the Land thrive. But at the same time, they watched as their very own kins sacrifice themselves one by one on the Altar.

"- We've subjected ourselves to Fate -" His eyes closed tight, a sigh filled with resignation escaped his lips. Death was their partners in life and solace after. They accepted their duty with not a grievance told, all for the hope of falling into an eternal sleep after the nigh boundless trek.

"- All for... _what_...?" His voice soften at the last, carrying with it a twinge of anger and sorrow. What they have done, _no one_ would ever know. What they have despaired, _no one_ would ever understand. What should be their history... will be forever be enshrouded in mystery.

He has long forgotten if there was any real reason for their actions through the test of time. For fame? Glory? Salvation? He'd forgotten. He was only following the invisible decree that accompanied him since birth, it was what kept him going - but it was also what made him felt like a walking corpse.

"I can't remember anymore," His voice returned to the indifference it always carried, it was as if that ripple of emotion was just a figment of Tsuna's imagination. "They say memory defines who a person is, but it's been too long that the memories of my kins has all but faded. I can't remember the good times nor the bad times. All that is left is the mandate engraved into my very being since my birth. It is the only thing I have now to cling onto, to remind me of who I am and why I existed. It's the _proof_ that I existed, so I can't hate it entirely in the end."

"But... by the end of the day, I need to let go of my resentments, let go of my stubborn grip on my pride for the sake of the duty bound to me, they have clouded me of my original intention for far too long." The Administrator turned to Tsuna. "You already knew, didn't you? My other self shared it with you, did he not?"

"Yeah," Tsuna returned his gaze back to the peaceful landscape before him. "He said at that time, he agreed to the alternative only after Yuni'd guaranteed that the future was bright for all of us because..."

"...because no more sacrifices were needed," Kawahira finished with chuckled. "The Curse of the Rainbow could be said to be the simplified version of the one my race was bounded to - though we never did view it as such. Lifting the Curse meant no more human sacrifices made, no more tarnish to my race's name. It meant that my - _our_ duty's end. Although my other self probably felt just the tiniest bit uncomfortable for handing over his responsibility to Mankind, he was relieved that he has finally reached the end of the long tiring journey... like the rest of my race."

"..."

"Tsuna," Said brunet turned, watching the not-human quietly. "I hope to be able to face my kins with a smile, to tell them that I fulfilled our purpose, that I left it in the hands of a group of promising individuals. For surely... they will keep the world safe and balanced."

"Uncle Kawahira," Tsuna frowned disapprovingly, straightening up but his hands still rested on the balustrade. "Don't say it like you're going to disappear the moment Trinisette is in safe hands. You had plenty of time left, like your other self."

Kawahira smiled in return, declining to make a comment on it. "Do you know why I was captured?"

.

.

.

.

"Tsuna... oi, Tsuna!"

Said brunet was snapped out of his mulling after Enma snapped his fingers next to his ear while calling his name. "Hm?"

"You've been out of it," Enma commented, sizing his friend up in concern. "I know you probably didn't have a nice family conversation -"

Tsuna shot the redhead a look, which the latter shrugged off.

"- but it can't be that bad, right?"

"It was... okay, I suppose," Tsuna pinched the bridge of his nose, brows knitted in frustration. He gaze Enma a look before his attention was drawn to the group behind the latter. Tsuna chose to ignore how he had gotten to the living room while he was spacing out after the conversation with Kawahira (but then again, there was a little alien in his head for a reason). "I take it that it went well with you?"

Enma was about the answer when -

"And Shiro. What. The. Hell."

\- Tsuna's line of sight tilted up towards the ceiling.

Enma and his family followed shortly after where one marshmallow addict was discovered hanging on the chandelier.

"Eheheh..." Byakuran laughed sheepishly at being caught red-handed, scratching the back of his head. "Oops?"

Both Enma and Tsuna's eye twitched at the lame response.

Mami clasped a hand over her mouth in surprise. "How did he get up there?!"

"It is a rather dangerous spot for a kid." Mizuno gave his two-cents' worth.

"Better yet, why didn't I notice-" Enma nearly bit his tongue when he realized he was about to ask a stupid question. "- No, never mind, forget I ever asked." He shouldn't have forgotten that it was an unspoken rule to not question those who broke the realm of reason (himself included more often than not).

Suzuki gave Enma a strange look. "Better yet?" Shouldn't the main point here be that there was a kid stuck on the ceiling (and she will _not_ ask how) and that they should get him down before he falls? (In the distant future, the Glacier guardian didn't bother to bat an eye anymore when she sees Byakuran showering the mansion with marshmallows.)

Tsuna sighed, massaging his temple with one hand while the other pointed to the ground in front of him. "Down, Shiro."

Byakuran pouted, but obeyed when he allowed himself to fall and land gracefully in front of Tsuna. With his arms outstretched to either side of him, Byakuran grinned, eyes sparkling as if asking to be praised. "Ne, ne, how was that? A ten, right? A ten?"

Tsuna rolled his eyes and rapped his knuckles against the boy on the head lightly as he reprimanded, "Eavesdropping is not a good habit to have."

"I have a curious mind!" Byakuran pouted at the futile switch of topic, rubbing the not-sore spot where Tsuna had hit. However, the latter didn't buy the look the Mare gave him.

"Curiosity kills the cat, Shiro."

"But - But..." Byakuran's pitiful eyes pined themselves on Tsuna. "Tsu-chan wouldn't even harm a fly!"

"..." The brunet's eye twitched again, was that an insult? That was definitely an insult, right? Right. "Oi..."

"Pfft...!" Enma couldn't hold back his laughter, leaning an arm on Tsuna's shoulder. "You can't deny that you can be such a big softie at times, Tsuna."

"..." Tsuna twitched for the third again in the short time span, a vein bulged on his forehead. However, it only lasted a few more seconds as he looked between the Mare and the Earth, deflating it all out with a sigh. "Why do I put up with this?"

"Oh cheer up," Enma swung an arm over Tsuna's shoulder, the former had noticed that the tension in the latter's shoulder and the tightening of his facial expression has been present ever since the he entered the room. He knew those were all signs of Tsuna stressing out about something - and he had no doubt that Byakuran had noticed the same. "How about I introduce my family to you?"

Without waiting for a response, Enma dragged the brunet over to where his guardians were.

"Guys!" Enma grinned as he pushed Tsuna to the front as if he was showing off a new toy. "This is Tsuna, my best friend!"

"Birds, you mean," Tsuna rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "Isn't that the status of our relationship the last time we had this conversation?"

"... We're back to being best friends!" Enma's smile didn't falter, but his voice held a hint of a growl.

"Also," Tsuna flourished a hand towards the guardians. "I had the pleasure of meeting them yesterday, remember?"

"Ah..." Enma was promptly reminded of the remark Tsuna made when he had returned. "Right, you had to babysit them... was it?"

"Baby - what...?!" Aoba spluttered indignantly. "We're not children!"

"I don't think any of you being eighteen yet," Tsuna deadpanned. "So... kids."

"So are you!"

"Well," The brunet smirked, leaning forward as he pointed between him and Aoba. "Who's the one being immature right now?"

"..." Aoba stared blankly, unable to process the question.

Suzuki rolled her eyes, muttering incoherently under her breath because the answer was obvious. Honestly, Suzuki didn't want to be associated with her companions at times like this even if she disagreed with Tsuna on the matter of them being immature.

"I'm a kid too, Tsu-chan!" Byakuran decided he should kindly remind them that he still existed. "You guys should babysit me! Oh, oh - and play with me!"

"..." The Simons looked at the Sky Mare strangely while Tsuna and Enma just deadpanned at the child.

"Looks can be deceiving," Enma jabbed.

"And I'm pretty sure you matured early." Tsuna added salt to injury.

"H-How could you..." Byakuran stared at them with crocodile tears ready to fall. A split second after, he turn tail and fled with a - "I'M GOING TO TELL YUNI-CHAN ON YOU GUYS!"

Mami sweatdropped at the scene. "Um... i-is he going to be... okay?"

"Don't worry," Tsuna rolled his eyes. "His tantrums usually doesn't last over five minutes... or, at least, until he finds Yuni."

"I bet it'll only last a minute this time," Enma smirked.

"Please," Tsuna retorted, amusement glinting in his eyes. "It only takes him thirty seconds to find Yuni, what with that inbuilt radar of his."

There was a moment of silence where they flashed each other a grin before breaking out into laughter.

"Anyways," Tsuna said after laughing, his eyes landed on Mami. "She's the sister you've mentioned all those times ago? Mami, was it?"

"Yeah," Enma pulled the clueless girl over, an fond glint in his eyes. "She's a bit of a troublemaker now than before."

"En-nii!" Mami complained, elbowing the other in the ribs before looking over at Tsuna and speaking in earnest. "Don't believe him, I'm a good girl!"

"I'm sure you are." Tsuna humored and ruffled up her hair. "Your brother's just teasing you, is all. You have no idea the kind of things I have to put up with him."

"Oi," Enma glared at the brunet. "I'm pretty sure we're fellow suffers of misery - and if I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who kept dragging _me_ into things!" He paused when he saw the smirk curling up on Tsuna's lips and added quickly. "Don't you say it!"

"Birds." Tsuna said it anyways.

"Ugh..." Enma grumbled under his breath. "We're never getting out of this stupid loop."

It was until now that Suzuki took a good look between Enma and Tsuna. The interaction between the two didn't seemed like those who had meet only a few months prior. Rather... it seemed - "It's as though you two have known each other for years by how you're interacting with each other."

Said duo blinked, surprised that the Glacier guardians perception was sharper than they expected.

"Well, of course," Tsuna said half-jokingly. "We've known each other for half of our lives in another world."

It earned a flat look from Suzuki.

Tsuna shrugged. "You mentioned it."

"If I knew you were going to speak rubbish, I wouldn't even have spoke a word."

"..." Sometimes, Tsuna lamented how the truth can become too unrealistic that people stop believing in it.

* * *

Ienari knew his brother was right, he shouldn't ignore his Intuition. But it was times like this that he wished he _didn't_ inherit the Vongola trait.

He wished he was still that ignorant like brat long ago, where he didn't know of his father's expectations, where he didn't know the pressure on his shoulder, and where he didn't know that Tsunayoshi - _his brother_ \- had...

He tried not to think down that path, because it was impossible. Tsuna was right in front of him -

 _Gentle brown eyes looked him with an embracing smile in all those forgotten years of his life._

\- alive and well -

 _The tittering figure struggling to stand tall in front of him when all he could do was cower in the corner._

\- It was impossible, Ienari denied adamantly as he tried to push the mocking images out of his head -

 _The ribbons of flames licked his fingers and danced - the very same flames reflected in sunset-orange eyes so familiar yet all the more too foreign._

\- Impossibleimpossible ** _impossible!_**

Ienari whimpered as he held his head in his hand. He didn't want to accept it, he _refused_ to accept it.

As long as he didn't speak a word about it, Ienari tried to convince himself, as long as _no one_ makes mention of it, everything was fine. Just _fine_.

"Baka-Nari," Reborn landed in front of the blond from where he had perched in order to observe his student. "What are you doing?"

Ienari pursed his lips and averted his eyes. "... Nothing."

The infant's beady black eyes narrowed. "You _do_ know that you Sawadas suck at lying, don't you?"

"..." Ienari gave Reborn a strange look. He would understand if Reborn was only implying him and his father, but how was his brother bad at lying? He hadn't even _known_ that his brother was so capable until _yesterday!_

"Tsuna never attempted to hide," Reborn refrained from rolling his eyes. "There was just never a need for him to really show himself."

"... then what about the whole mafia role play?"

Reborn looked down on his student's intelligence. "He was messing with you all on purpose and you all bought it."

"..." He never realized Tsuna had such a mischievous side to him

The teacher-student duo remained silent for several long minutes. It was times like these that Reborn didn't intend to break the silence. This, after all, wasn't something he could pound into his student like all those lessons about being a mafia don.

"I don't understand, Reborn," Ienari started finally through grit teeth. He knew he couldn't avoid the topic another time, but he rather speak to Reborn than anyone else on the matter. After all, Reborn was the first person who had ever treated him as who he was, who would never hesitate to knock him down a notch when the situation calls for it. "Why can't everything be simple like they used to be?"

"Life is never simple, Ienari," Reborn answered flatly and the string finally snapped.

"But Tsunayoshi is _Tsunayoshi_!" Ienari burst in a mix of anger and frustration. "He's my older brother by ten minutes, he gets sick easily but he's kind and gentle and protective and -and he - I thought I lost after that incident!"

"I lost him for seven years, Reborn," Tears accumulated around his eyes but he refused to let them fall. "Did you know how happy I freakin' was when I finally - _finally_ got my brother back?"

"I thought to myself, Tsunayoshi is back, _Onii-san_ _is back_ ," Ienari sounded nearly hysterical at this point, tears streaming down at this point. "I told myself that I was going to protect him this time, I wasn't going to cower behind his back every again - but then reality just _had_ to f**king pour a bucket of cold water over my head. Everything is telling me that I'm wrong. I won't be able to protect him because he's _not here anymore!"_

He clutched his head in his hands and croaked, "No matter _how_ I tried to convince myself time and time again, I couldn't beat that mocking little voice in my head because... because Onii-san is really gone this time!"

"Why..." Ienari looked up, his voice going up an octave and sounding so much like a broken child. "Why couldn't he continue to pretend? Onii-san... Onii-san would still be here if he -"

"You know that's not possible," Reborn finally spoken, trying not to sound too harsh for once in a blue moon. "You can't continue to live in a lie, Ienari. He knew that, I knew that, _you_ knew that."

"I _know_ ," Ienari bite back almost hatefully, but then deflated in defeat. "But I... I just wanted my brother back. Is that really too much to ask for?"

"Ienari," Reborn scowled at Ienari, mildly frustrated at his blockhead of a student. "Do you know what you are to Tsuna?"

"He taught you like a teacher with," Reborn continued without waiting for a response, staring straight into the blonde's brown orbs. "But he also treated you a _brother_ would."

The teen's eyes blinked, but slowly widened.

"A family, Ienari," Reborn didn't bother with the too slow of a realization that was dawning his student. "Tsuna has treated you - _all of you_ \- like a family."

"..."

"You've lost a brother already, do you really want to lose another?" Reborn wanted his student to understand that what's done is done, but if he continue to dwell within it, he'll lose what was right in front of it.

Ienari remained silent, staring at the ground as he looked back on the past few months.

"I..." He croaked after several long seconds, but then laughed ruefully as he covered his face with his hands. He understood what Reborn was pointing at. He knew it. He _get it_. But... "It's harder than you think Reborn."

"... you and your idiot of a father," Reborn clicked his tongue, knowing his student like the back of his hand. The younger was too fixated on the death of his twin while the older couldn't get over his inferior complex with his two-century-old ancestor.

However, he didn't know whether he should applaud the both of them for that obsession-like stubborn streak or shoot the them both in the head just to be done with it all - because hell, the father-son duo's inner demons were targeted towards two _identical_ people and they're all related by blood. (Reborn sometimes wondered if blood ties were really that complicated or was it just the Vongolas - he leaned towards the latter.)

"I knew he was there. He was always _there_."

Reborn silently watched on, his annoyance quelling with a mantra.

"He watching us the entire time," There was a bitter taste in his mouth. "Using his own way to guide me - _us_."

"But I..." Ienari closed his eyes and exhaled, balling himself up. "I couldn't get over Tsunayoshi's death because it's my fault that it happened and - and he knew. He knew I was pushing him away... but - but no one could replace Tsunayoshi. _No one -_ "

"Nari," Reborn sighed in near exasperation, cutting his student off from losing it again. "He never admitted to be Tsunayoshi in the first place, because he can't replace your brother - nor would he want to because he couldn't be someone he isn't."

"..."

"But he's still _Tsuna_ , your teacher, your brother, your family."

Ienari widened his eyes.

.

 **He dipped his head in greetings, "Hi! Like Kaa-san said, I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna."**

 **.**

 **"I-I'm Sawada Tsunayoshi, but you can call me Tsuna."**

 **.**

 **"Tsunayoshi, but it's Tsuna for short."**

 **.**

 **"Tsunayoshi -"**

 **"Tsuna," The brunet corrected Timoteo exasperatedly. "The name's a mouthful, Grandfather."**

 **.**

Ienari didn't want to admit it, but Reborn was right. Tsunayoshi was gone and there was not an instant where that person had intended to take his brother's place. He was him, Tsunayoshi was Tsunayoshi, but at the same time, _Tsuna was Tsunayoshi_.

 _Just... who is he?_ It was the first time Ienari felt the urge to understand the person who had taken a elder brother's role in his - _all_ of their lives, who seemed to have experienced more than someone his age, who had masked all of his pains under his not-quite-honest smiles.

Reborn watched as Ienari's eyes turned distant, but he let his student off the hook this time around and quietly left the blonde to his own thoughts. As a teacher, he gave Ienari pushes when he needed it but he knew he wasn't supposed to hold Ienari's hand through everything. Or else, his student would never be able to stand on his own two feet. (And if ends up like that, it wouldn't take any mafiosi to bring the young Decimo down because Reborn was to put a bullet in Ienari's skull himself because Vongola does not need an incompetent leader - and Ienari would've been better off dead earlier than later if he wanted to be saved from being swallowed whole by the deep abyss that was known as the Cosa Nostra.)

So, he gave Ienari the necessary space and time to think things through. But if Ienari still couldn't stop being a stubborn mule, well... Reborn has Leon-mallet for a reason.

"Reborn."

Said hitman turned and, as expected, Mammon was floating a meter from him. Though his expression was hidden under that hood of his, the frown etching across his lips said it all.

"We need to talk."

* * *

For a moment, Basil thought he had stepped into the wrong place. But when he looked around to see that it was still the familiar lobby of the mansion he was used to seeing, he thought otherwise.

However, that does _not_ excuse why there was a member of the frickin' _Vindice_ roaming about. He hoped that this was some early April Fool's joke, because he did not return from a last minute mission just to be welcomed by something like the Vindice arresting Vongola for breaking some unspoken rule of the mafia.

(It did, however, explain why the mansion was eerily quiet instead of the gloomy downcast that had been looming over the mansion - they were both awful, but if Basil had a choice, he preferred the latter.)

"Um -" That very Vindice turned, causing Basil's hair to stand on ends as he subconsciously take a step back. He has every right to react that way. This is the _Vindice_ for Christ's sake, they were the _much_ scarier version of the boogie monster to every mafioso's nightmare and Basil is still a child. (His argument was that anyone under the age of eighteen is a kid and he's still a year from that, so he is, _very much_ , a kid.) "... N-nothing."

The Vindice's faceless head stayed directed in Basil's direction for several long seconds - and Basil wanted _so much_ to just make a beeline for the door he had just entered from. However, he couldn't, because this is _Vonglola_ and Basil wouldn't hesitate to fight to the end if it was to protect his second home.

So, Basil steeled his nerves, took a deep breath, and - and the Vindice swayed his cape, disappearing right in front of him with only the shrinking black vortex as evidence that the mafia police was even there in the first place.

"..." Basil... Basil held his breath.

"... Pfft." Despite being dumbfounded himself, Ganauche III had to stifle the laugh that nearly escaped his mouth when he observed the Basil reaction from the corner of his eyes.

"Loosen up, kid," He ruffled up Basil hair took the lead. "I'm pretty sure we'll get filled in about what's happening in a minute."

"Ever the optimist," Brow Nie Jr. rolled his eyes, following behind the lighthearted Lightning with a leisure gait as he spun his bowl hat on his index finger.

Basil snapped out of his daze and quickly followed after the two guardians whom he had came back with. He was rather curious why the two older Vongolas didn't seem as shock as he did when Vindice was the very first thing that greeted them the moment they opened the door.

"Kiddo, you gotta be more perceptive," Ganauche said all of a sudden.

"Ah?" Basil blinked, realizing that he had spoke out the question on his mind.

"We were surprised, yes," Brow elaborated. "But it didn't seem as though the Vindice came with hostile intents, seeing as how the one just now disappeared the moment he saw us without doing much of anything. You can say it's an unspoken message - they come in peace."

"They come in peace...?" Basil muttered dubiously. 'Peace' was not something he could associate with Vindice despite them being the mafia police that maintain what semblance of a balance that the Cosa Nostra had. (There was no justice with the mafia, Basil knew. To the outside world, they were criminals - and they have done plenty of law-breaking on a day-by-day basis.)

Reborn had told him that the Vindice play with the mind, striking fear in the hearts of all mafioso alike and through it, psychologically putting a restraint to prevent the people from crossing the bottom line that differentiated what was humanity (or what shreds left in mafioso) and what was not.

Although Basil applaud the method to be effective, he still didn't like the very death-like presence that was the Vindice. He was positive that no else did either.

(At least, not until he met a certain trouble magnet... and what was once conventional just went downhill from there.)

"Hey Brownie -"

Brow gave his companion a look, but Ganauche ignored the warning.

"- what do you think Coyote wanted us to drop everything and come back immediately for? "

"We'll know in a few minutes," Brow answered with a roll of his eyes, his attention was then directed at Basil. "Why don't you go look for Lil' Decimo, Basil, I'm sure he'll know something about the entirety of all of this."

The younger mafiosi nodded in understanding compliance, he knew that the Ninth Generation has things to discuss among themselves and it wasn't something he was privy to.

"Then I'll be off."

The two Ninth generation Sun and Lightning saw Basil off before made their way to the main meeting room.

.

.

.

Basil wasn't able to find Ienari, because his search came to a premature end when he was met with Yamamoto and Sasagawa along with two unfamiliar teenagers.

"Yamamoto-san, Sasagawa-san!" Slipping into Japanese, he greeted the the Rain and Sun as well as interrupted whatever conversation they were having.

"Extreme welcome back Basil!" came the greeting of Sasagawa Ryohei.

"Hey Basil, when did you come back?" Yamamoto asked with a smile.

"Just now," The CEDEF-in-training answered, reflecting the smile back before his attention traveled to the two unknown teenagers. "Who art...?"

"Art?" Aoba raised a brow, sizing the blonde up in doubt. "Who speaks Japanese in the... uh..." He blanked out when he couldn't remember the history lesson he listened to - but Aoba blamed the fact that he was running and hiding for his life to actually care about the things he learned in school.

"It's from the extreme samurais!" Sasagawa provided vaguely.

"It's from the Edo period," Yamamoto followed up after the Sun guardian with a better explanation. "Basil learned Japanese from Nari's dad and his dad is a... well, I guess a fanatics of of samurais in ancient Japan so he taught Basil Japanese using the old texts from that time."

"..."

"Oh," Seeing the confusion (and wordless) expression Aoba and Mizuna were wearing, Yamamoto slapped his forehead. "Haha, sorry, Nari's my boss -" He paused before adding with a smile "- and friend. And this..."

He placed a hand on the blonde next to him. "Is Basil. He's training under Nari's dad, who's the head of CEDEF."

"Basil," He turned to said person, doing late introductions. "These two are Aoba Koyo and Mizuno Kaoru, they're from the Simon Family."

"The Simon Family...?" Basil's brows knitted in confusion for a moment. The name was family so he knew he had heard or read on that particular famiglia _somewhere_ \- "Ah, the Vongola archive!" (It was one of those days when Iemitsu decided to educate him about the founding father of Vongola and had dragged the poor then-child to the Vongola Archive to be buried in books.)

He then turned a curious look at the two members of the supposedly hypothetical Simon Famiglia. "Thou exist?"

"... The hell do you mean by that?" Aoba glared, crossing his arms in disdain. "Just because you guys can't find a trace about us doesn't mean anything in the end!"

"Maa..." Yamamoto sweatdropped. "I don't think Basil meant anything by it."

Realizing that he had sounded off quite rude, Basil scratched his head sheepishly. "Sorry, I was just curious. The books had very little limited detail on thy Family."

"Extremely enough about that!" Sasagawa interrupted with the intentions of changing the topics so that it wouldn't be so awkward. "Let's have an EXTREME boxing match!"

"Boxing?" Aoba immediately perked up - and his attention successfully straying the thorn of a topic. "You're on!"

"EXTREME!"

* * *

"Shoichi, wrench."

"Wasn't it next to you?"

"I don't see it."

"What? But I remembered putting next to -"

"It's right here, you two." Knowing that the two will argue over this if it goes on, Tsuna handed said wrench that had been placed on the opposite side of the room - and for some reason, atop of a strange looking lamp. "Honestly, you two are hopeless without Mini Mosca."

"Mini Mosca?" Spanner blinked, pausing.

"How did you..." Irie stared at the nearly finished robot in Spanner's hand before shaking his head. "It's a fitting name."

"Mm, Mini Mo it is." Spanner decided with a nod, returning making his finishing touches.

"... Wait, that's not -"

"Shoichi, you're being too conservative." Enma rolled his eyes. "What's so bad about Lil' Mo?"

"It's Mini Mo."

"... right," Enma's brow twitched, deadpanning at Spanner. "Same thing."

"It's not." Spanner was adamant in his stance on the name.

"..." How come he never knew the blonde mechanic to be so stubborn?

Tsuna shook his head with a chuckle. He gave a fleeting glance to the screen that Irie had gone back to deciphering, startled to find the erratic graph that seems to want to jump out of the screen. He may not know much about data analytics, but he knew what Irie was working with was anything normal. "Irie, what is that?"

"Ah?" The engineer paused and looked at Tsuna briefly before his attention was back at the screen, pressing between his brows as he rethought about how he had came to deal with this headache. "It's something Reborn-san assigned me to do."

 **"How good are you two in tracing IP addresses?"**

 **Irie and Spanner exchanged looks before the latter promptly pointed at the former. "I'm more on the automatic side of the spectrum. Shoichi's the one that deals with the cyber-net."**

 **"..." Irie stared grudgingly at his companion. Did he really have to sell him out like that without a second thought?**

 **"I - um... can't say I'm an _expert_..." Irie admitted bashfully.**

 **Reborn handed over Leon-phone. "I want you to trace this number for me."**

 **"Ah?" Irie blinked, staring the chameleon-changed device. He wanted to ask how he was going to retrieve digital data from a living specimen, but upon the look the infant gave him, Irie very prudently swallowed back his doubts and took Leon.**

"That's the strangest looking IP search result I have ever seen." Enma remarked, leaning in for a closer look. "I thought most IP searches traces directly to the address."

"That's usually the case," Irie replied as his hands typed rapidly on the keyboard. "But the one that Reborn gave me is a bit... odd - well, it was odd enough that it came from a chameleon but this -" Irie pressed 'ENTER' and unlike the error that the technician had received the first time Reborn had requested the trace -

"Hold up," Tsuna was now closing in to get a better look at the lines of codes that were now lining the computer screen until it stopped at the compiled output. "Is that..."

"Vongola mansion." Enma finished, frowning.

"Now only that," Irie pursed his lips, popping open a command window to enter another command. "I went through several tests using different methods and they all gave me the same result. However, the last test trace gave me this."

Tsuna and Enma blinked.

"I have reason to believe that time travel is involved because a part of the code I mistakenly used was in relation with the concept." Irie concluded nervously. "Which is what I was looking into with the graph you saw before."

The hyper-duo continued to stare wordlessly at the screen that was displaying glaringly: February XX, 2XXX.

"... F***." Enma cursed under his breath after the silent respite, glaring at the screen. "This is from ten-freakin'-years in the sh***y in the future."

Tsuna... Tsuna turned and walked away. He was not going to deal with this. He was _not_.

.

.

.

Unfortunately, Tsuna didn't get his way in the end because his Intuition blared like a siren to move but -

"GET BACK HERE STUPID COW!"

"HAHAHA - GAH!"

"Watch out!"

\- he was rooted in the spot long enough for the flying object to land on him.

 _POOF!_

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Irie was getting a sever stomachache, Lambo, Ooyama Large, and Gokudera stood frozen-stilled while Enma deadpanned at the dispersing purple smoke and the now stilled ten-year bazooka innocently on the ground.

They stayed that way for five grueling minutes and - and Tsuna was officially missing.

"Well..." Enma closed his eyes and breathed to suppress the urge to punch something... or someone. " _ **Fan-f***ing-tastic**._ "

* * *

Aria looked towards the distant suddenly from where she had just gotten off of her private plane, feeling that hum that vibrated in the air. It was brief, millisecond in fact, but being sensitive to time as she was, she was still able to pick it up.

Hey eyes were filled with a mix of worry and hope, worry being more prominent with the constant off-kilter feeling due to being a holder of Trinisette.

"It has done all it can."

The Sky Arcobaleno looked to right, not a bit surprised to find the man appearing beside her all of a sudden. "What will you do now?"

"What can I do?" Kawahira sounded almost sarcastic as he utter those words despite the smile plastered on his face, shrugging in the end. "I need to go back."

Aria raised a brow. "To think even the Administrator can have his authority robbed of him."

"No one's perfect." Kawahira chuckled, not minding the jab. There was a moment where both of them stared off in the distant before Kawahira decided it was time to leave, though not before leaving with a short - "Be careful, they'll start making their real move soon."

Aria stared at where the man had disappeared in a brief moment of surprise, traces of mists still present as evidence that Kawahira.

She then sighed with a chuckle. "What an awkward man."

* * *

 **Eeeyy... I'm alive :DDDD**

 **And yeah... this chapter is a bit... meh. I didn't know what to write and probably one of the hardest chapter for me to write honestly. I think this is just a respite chapter, where everything is building up with bits of information thrown out here and there.**

 **Also, it looks like Tsuna's making a detour ha ha ha - /shot.**

 **There's probably gonna be like... a _lot_ happening at once in the next few chapters with plot development and character growth- or so I have planned in my head :p**

 **Fun stuff.**


End file.
